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Home > Archives > Acela Express exiting Union Tunnel in Baltimore, 2013.

Acela Express exiting Union Tunnel in Baltimore, 2013.

Color digital image showing an Acela Express (Washington-Boston) train exiting the Union Tunnel near Baltimore Penn Station on a snowy day.

<i>Acela Express</i> exiting Union Tunnel in Baltimore, 2013.

In this image, a southbound Acela Express train exits the west portal of Union Tunnel as it prepares to make its scheduled stop at Baltimore Penn Station. The Union Tunnel, measuring 3,410 feet long, was completed by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1873. By constructing Union Tunnel to the east of the station and the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnels to the west, the PRR completed a new, direct route through Baltimore just north of the bustling downtown and harbor.

Intended to compete with airlines for travelers in the Washington-New York and New York-Boston markets, Acela Express trains entered revenue service in December 2000. The Acela Express train sets were designed and manufactured by a consortium of Bombardier and Alstom. Each of the 20 train sets includes six passenger cars between two power cars at each end. To prepare for the arrival of high-speed rail service in 2000, the northern end of the Northeast Corridor between New Haven and Boston was electrified, which included the installation of catenary poles, wires and electrical substations.

Photographer: Chuck Gomez for Amtrak. From the Amtrak Corporate Collection.