Amtrak Bets Future on High-Speed Train

Amtrak unveiled a new high-speed train that is designed to whisk passengers at 150 mph between Washington, New York and Boston and revitalize the railroad by competing with airlines on such trips. Named Acela to hint at acceleration and excellence, the trains will travel between Boston and New York in three hours--an improvement of 90 minutes over the current trip--and from New York to Washington in as little as 2 1/2 hours, a savings of half an hour. Service is to begin in November or December, and Amtrak officials hope it will be a model for similar trains in the Great Lakes, the Gulf Coast, California and the Pacific Northwest.