Delays in Acela Upgrade Have Cost Amtrak $140 Million…and Countingthedigitalchaps

The three-year wait for Amtrak’s overdue new Acela train fleet has cost the railroad $140 million and counting, documents show, a setback for a company that has vowed to improve its stewardship of taxpayer money.

As France-based trainmaker Alstom struggles with testing requirements and production defects on the $2.3 billion program to replace the Acela trains, Amtrak has had to spend millions of dollars in maintenance costs to keep its aging, existing fleet in operation.