We know all too well the grueling and vexatious walk it can be going into Penn Station and catching a bus or Amtrak somewhere. With some going cross country, and others going North or South, it’s one busy station, and with Amtrak being the nation’s only high speed intercity passenger train, it is no surprise that the future of Amtrak and especially in New York is coming into the spotlight.

With the current Amtrak trains starting to become a little outdated, new models have been designed and the future of Amtrak includes some big changes coming to the Big Apple. Some plans include trains leaving New York City every half hour to Washington D.C., and a new speed, going at 160 mph. The current train goes at 135 mph.

The design of the train is all modern, almost taking on the look of a bullet train from Japan. The French company, Alstom, is in charge of building 28 new trains, taking the place of the acela trains. The federal government has given a $2.45 billion loan to Amtrak in order to start the project as soon as possible.

As much as this is already under way, it will be a few years until one can ride in these new trains, as the new trains will be functioning and serving the public in 2021. The trains will carry 40 percent more of what they currently do and a train will depart in between New York and Boston every hour. Increases in passengers riding the Northeast Corridor in the past ten years has also brought upon this project for new trains and more leaving from New York City.

The trains will have nine cars, and possible add three more if the demand is high. The cars will be better accessible to people with disabilities, and have special technology that will allow the train to take a curve more safely in faster due to a special tilting technology feature that will be enabled in the trains.

Featured Image Via Wikimedia