Acela high-speed train off track until summer

Amtrak’s damaged Acela high-speed train won’t operate again before summer, officials for the passenger rail service said yesterday.

Efforts to get the Acela back on track are hampered by a lack of replacement parts to correct brake problems.

Amtrak stopped the trains Friday after investigators with the Federal Railroad Administration discovered cracks in 300 of the 1,440 disc brake rotors on the trains.

But Bombardier Inc., the Montreal company that built Acela and has a contract to maintain it, has access to fewer than 70 rotors, Amtrak Senior Vice President of Operations William Crosbie said yesterday at Union Station in Washington.

Each train — a set of six cars — requires 72 rotors.

Bombardier spokesman David Slack said yesterday the company is working with suppliers to have new rotors made, but he doesn’t know how quickly the components can be delivered to Amtrak.

Mr. Crosbie said no companies are making the rotors now.

Difficulty finding replacement parts makes it likely Acela will have a long layoff. When service does resume, Amtrak expects to introduce the Acela trains gradually.

“They will not come back all at once,” Mr. Crosbie said.

Amtrak officials said Acela won’t return to service until the train’s manufacturers can ensure a steady supply of new rotors and can come up with an inspection procedure to monitor the components.

“The trains are under warranty, and it is the responsibility of the manufacturer consortium to come up with a plan for service restoration,” Mr. Crosbie said.

Bombardier’s warranty on the train lasts until October 2006.

The manufacturer also must ensure that the brake discs meet their expected life cycle before Amtrak resumes Acela service.

The rotors are supposed to last five years or 1 million miles, but neither threshold has been reached, Amtrak Chief Executive Officer David Gunn said.

The rotors have been on the trains for about 500,000 miles, he said. The trains have been in operation less than five years, traveling along the Northeast Corridor since December 2000.

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