The new trains, built in Hornell, N.Y. by French multinational builder Alstom, cost $2.3 billion, and are at the center of a fleet modernization effort by Amtrak.

A new high-speed Amtrak train has officially made its first tracks along the Northeast Corridor. The NextGen Acela had its inaugural ride from Washington, D.C., to New York City's Penn Station on Wednesday morning.