November 30, 2001: A newspaper report by the Rutland (VT) Times Argus on Nov. 29 was headlined "Bombardier bullet trains a dud in Montpelier." First line of text: "Montpelier--Two of Amtrak's 'bullet trains' came to a grinding halt in a derailment here Tuesday."
The derailment occurred while an Acela Express trainset was being moved from the Bombardier plant in Barre, VT. The article headline is misleading. The derailment was caused by some very poor track.
Gene Poon reports: "I have visited the Bombardier plant at Barre and was given a tour while Acela trains were being built there. On the same day, I walked segments of the track, which is used to transport railcars to and from the plant. It is old and in disrepair. I saw many loose spikes, many rotten ties, many areas where the track badly needs to be re-aligned, or better yet, replaced."
It was the second time an Acela Express has derailed while being moved from the plant.