Hey all...I seem to remember that the Acela's were taken out of service because of cracks found in the brakes during testing for higher speeds in New Jersey between Newark and Trenton. Anyone know if these tests were completed and what came/will come out of them??
I'm not aware of any plan or testing having to do with increased speeds for AE in New Jersey or anywhere else. Current top speed is limited to 135 south of NYP by the old, variable-tension catenary. New constant-tension catenary will be needed for higher speeds.
As for curve speeds, AE was designed to run at nine inches of unbalance. Due to tracking problems on curves, Amtrak has never requested, and FRA has never permitted, operation at more than seven inches of unbalance. This has nothing to do with the tilting feature, which is only for passenger comfort, but rather to truck hunting problems. Also, FRA has restricted AE to a max of 130 MPH on *any* curve.
I don't think any of this will change in the near future.