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Home > Archives > X2000 on display in Red Wing, Minn., 1993.

X2000 on display in Red Wing, Minn., 1993.

Color film slide showing the X2000 on display at the Amtrak station in Red Wing, Minn., during its national tour on July 1, 1993.

X2000 on display in Red Wing, Minn., 1993.

As Amtrak explored the development of high-speed rail in the early 1990s, it leased two European high-speed trainsets for testing: the Swedish X2000 and the German Intercity Express (ICE). Both trainsets were used in revenue service on the southern portion of the Northeast Corridor in 1993. The equipment was also put on display in cities across the country.

Designed and built by Asea Brown Boveri, Inc. for the Swedish State Railways, the X2000 shown above was tested by Amtrak because it could travel at higher speeds than conventional trains on existing main line track; unlike contemporary French and Japanese high-speed trainsets, it did not require new, dedicated tracks.

The image above shows the X2000 on display at the historic Red Wing, Minn., depot in July 1993. According to Ingwar Afeldt, an employee of Swedish State Railways sent to instruct Amtrak road foremen and engineers on the operation of the X2000, the Red Wing stop occurred during a run from Milwaukee to Minneapolis.

Photographer: Ingwar Afeldt. From the Ingwar Afeldt Collection.