Amtrak Acela Express Trains
and HHP-8 Locomotives Halted
http://www.trainweb.com/news/2002/2002h13a.html

Amtrak's high-speed Acela Express trains have been completely removed from service as of Monday evening, August 12, 2002, after it was found that yaw damper brackets on the trucks of power cars of initially three Acela Express trainsets had shown signs of cracking. It is unclear if and when Acela Express service will resume its full schedule. We will bring you the latest details as they become available.

*This article alludes to cracks being found in the yaw damper brackets of 15 locomotives aside from the Acela Express power cars. These locomotives are the HHP-8s, which run interchangeably with the older AEM-7 and E60MA electric units on the Northeast Corridor. It is confirmed that all 15 of the HHP-8s are out of service, in addition to all 18 Acela Express trainsets.

• Aug 15 04:50 PM ET: Amtrak Removes More Trains From Service (Washington Post)
• Aug 15 04:34 PM ET: Amtrak again pulls all Acela Express trains after new cracks found (AP)*
• Aug 15 03:24 PM ET: Amtrak Halts Express Service After New Defects Are Found (New York Times)
• Aug 15 09:25 AM ET: Amtrak Halts All Acela Trains Due to Newfound Cracks (Reuters)
• Aug 15 09:06 AM ET: Amtrak Again Pulls All Acela Trains (AP)
• Aug 15 08:57 AM ET: Amtrak Cancels Acela Express Service (nbc4.com)
• Aug 15 04:04 AM ET: Amtrak Restores Some Acela Service (AP)
• Aug 15 00:00 AM ET: Acela safety problem detected 3 years ago (Boston Globe)
• Aug 15 00:00 AM ET: Acela Might Be Back Monday (Washington Post)
• Aug 14 07:32 PM ET: Amtrak Finds More Cracks on Acela Trains (Reuters)
• Aug 14 03:35 PM ET: Some Acela Trains Back On Track (nbc4.com)
• Aug 14 12:29 PM ET: Amtrak Seeks Cause of Cracks on Acela Trains (Reuters)
• Aug 14 09:53 AM ET: 2 Amtrak High-Speed Trains Running (AP)
• Aug 14 09:11 AM ET: Cracks Cause Amtrak to Halt High-Speed Northeast Trains (New York Times)
• Aug 14 00:00 AM ET: Amtrak halts all high-speed service after finding cracks (Baltimore Sun)
• Aug 14 00:00 AM ET: Bombardier under fire (Montreal Gazette)
• Aug 13 05:50 PM ET: Amtrak Halts Most High-Speed Trains (AP)
• Aug 13 04:47 PM ET: Bombardier shares stumble as Amtrak idles high-speed train service (CBC)
• Aug 13 03:54 PM ET: Bombardier Shares Slip As Amtrak Sidelines Trains (Reuters)
• Aug 13 11:48 AM ET: Amtrak Unsure About Acela's Return (nbc4.com)
• Aug 13 11:24 AM ET: Amtrak Cancels Most Acela Express Service (Reuters)
• Aug 13 09:47 AM ET: Amtrak Cancels Acela Service on Safety Concerns (Washington Post)
• Aug 13 07:25 AM ET: Cracks Found In High-Speed Train (nbc4.com)
• Aug 13 00:00 AM ET: Acela Express Trains Sidetracked: Mechanical Problem (KYW 1060)

• Aug 15: Update on Acela Express Service (Amtrak)
• Aug 14: More Acela Express Trainsets Return to Service (Amtrak)
• Aug 14: Statement by Amtrak President David Gunn to Employees
• Aug 13: Update on Acela Express Trainset Inspections (Amtrak)
• Aug 13: Amtrak Statement on Acela Express Trainset Inspections (Amtrak)

Please check back later for further developments.