By Railfan & Railroad Staff

WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s new Acela Avelia Liberty will not make its public debut until at least 2022, a year later than originally planned, the Washington Post reports. According to officials, the delay was the result of issues with the current overhead catenary system on the Northeast Corridor. 

There have also been problems with the track itself, Larry Biess told the newspaper, which is resulting in a longer-than-planned testing period. “The track was basically designed in the 1800s. It’s very curvy. It presents a bit more of a challenge than the track that this train runs on in Europe,” he said. “If we were running on a straighter track, with a more modern infrastructure, it probably wouldn’t have taken as long as it has.”

Amtrak has ordered 28 of the nine-car sets, which were expected to enter revenue service between Boston to Washington this year. The cars are being built by Alstom in Hornell, N.Y.