BOSTON — According to the Boston Herald, Amtrak has refused to accept a “faulty” Acela train from its Canadian manufacturer, which could result in fewer trips between New York and Washington, but should not affect any trips out of Boston, a spokeswoman said.
“If any changes occur, they would only affect the south end of the market, where we may look at substituting Metroliner trains,” said Cecilia Cummings, an Amtrak spokeswoman.
Amtrak, which has promised to buy 20 of the high speed trains from Bombardier in Montreal, refused the delivery of the 19th train because of software glitches, faulty valves and switches, and inadequate spare parts, Cummings said. Those defects could have jeopardized Amtrak’s on-time percentage, which has gone from a range of 84 to 90 percent last year to 74 percent this year.
CNN reported yesterday that the original schedule of runs between Washington and Boston would be reduced from 18 to 15, with three trains available to cover any breakdowns. But Cummings said the number of trains, which travel up to 150 mph, in use would remain the same.
There are nine trips a day from Boston to Washington while the city was originally promised 10 trips. “That’s not going to happen until the kinks are worked out with Bombardier,” Cummings said. Bombardier will work out the problems in the 19th train and then seek Amtrak’s approval again, she said.