In the late 2010s, Amtrak put out bids for a new series of high-speed power to replace their unreliable first generation Acela equipment. ILW, which had already won a large order for diesel and dual-power units, bid and won with the eco-110p model, which was capable of producing 11000 continuous HP (with a terrifying 15000 HP five minute rating) and a top speed of 180mph.
These units use the standard eco-p carbody design, but are built with a composite steel, aluminum, and carbon fiber carbody to reduce weight. Amtrak has 104 of them, and use them not only for the Acela (Alsthom, despite losing their bid for the entire trainsets, are a subcontractor for ILW and are producing Pendulino-style cars for the eco-110p powered Acela-II trainsets) but also for non-express trains (which have become a lot more like express trains now that they can be pulled off the line with 15000 horses.)
TThere are 3 variants of the eco-110p, all of which Amtrak has ordered:
the ‘vanilla’ eco-110p is a single-ended boxcab model that Amtrak uses for push-pull trains along the NE Corridor and up into Maine (the old PV&T ‘Inland’ – Boston to Concord to Bangor via Portland; reestablished in 2026) and Québec (the old B&M Boston to Montréal ‘Alouette’, now running on PV&T & TdM rails,)
the ‘pdc’ double-cab motor, which Amtrak uses for power on the NE corridor segment of their long distance trains, and
the ‘ap’ (Acela Passenger) wedge nose, which are the power cars on Amtrak’s second generation Acela trains.
All of the variants are capable of 180mph (though the eco-110p & -110pdc are governed for a maximum of 125mph), but the wedge noses on the -110ap’s are because Amtrak wanted a more swoopy (“Like the TGF”) carbody for the Acela units, and ILW was happy to oblige.
Amtrak had not yet finalised their Acela 2 paint scheme when the first -110ap units started coming out of the stop, so the first few of them were delivered in Acela 1 paint and ran with Acela 1 trainsets until Alsthom started delivering the Pendulino cars.
Their current allocations are:
- 32 are in Acela service (6 in Acela 1 paint, 26 in Acela 2 paint)
- 66 are Northeast Regional service
- 6 are assigned to New England regional trains (the Inland, the Alouette, and – in 2026 – the Vermonter.)