WASHINGTON — According to the Washington Post, Amtrak again withdrew its Acela express trains from service this morning and scrapped plans to have all of them back on the railroad by Monday after more-detailed tests discovered more cracks in a shock absorber bracket on the locomotives that had escaped earlier detection.
Amtrak had intended to run five Acela train sets today, but withdrew that plan and said it is uncertain when the trains can get back into service.
“At this point, I can’t even speculate,” said Chief Operating Officer Stan Bagley.
The manufacturer, Bombardier of North America, which produces the trains in a consortium with Alstom of Paris, discovered the new cracking when it applied a more-sophisticated test than it had been using. The new cracks were located at the point where the brackets were welded to the locomotive body – the same point at which workers in Boston discovered the first failure during an inspection Monday.
Bombardier had supplied to Amtrak a new bracket that is slightly thicker than the one found to be cracking, and Amtrak had intended to install those on one train today for tests.
However, Bagley said that installation will not take place until engineers, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Amtrak officials have a chance to decide a new course of action. The FRA decided tentatively Wednesday that Amtrak’s plan to get the trains moving was a prudent course of action.
Under previous plans, Amtrak was to have all trains refitted with a new bracket by late Sunday night, but Amtrak president David. L Gunn said today, “We don’t know when we’ll get the first train fixed.”
Bagley said that officials “must feel comfortable” that the train is safe and, “if there is the slightest doubt or concern, we will take the safe course.”
The Acela’s bracket trouble is the latest in a series of problems with the popular trains. All 18 train sets accepted so far by Amtrak are scheduled for as many as 200 upgrades, including fixes in the braking systems and repairs to sticking restroom doors.