Hotline #256-A - August 20, 2002

Amtrak and Bombardier made great progress repairing Acela Express equipment over the weekend, working together under federal oversight. That allowed Amtrak to run nine of its 18 Acela Express train sets on August 19, including 60% of the Acela Express departures.

Some of the remaining nine sets should be running by the end of the week, leaving perhaps three or four to go. Also, the 15 HHP-8 electric locomotives should be back in service by the end of the week.

While necessary for safety reasons, the removal of the equipment last week caused a certain amount of disruption and confusion for travelers. Still, the rapid progress over the weekend gives reason for optimism that Amtrak and Bombardier will be able to work together to make the equipment more reliable.