Joseph H. Boardman (L), President of Amtrak, and Jerome Wallut, President of Alstom Transportation Inc., take their seat to hear US Vice President Joe R. Biden speak at Amtrak's Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Railroad Station August 26, 2016 in Wilmington, Delaware. Amtrak on Friday awarded a $1.8 billion deal to French manufacturer Alstom to supply new trains for its key Acela service between Washington, New York and Boston. The landmark deal for 28 new passenger trains will boost Amtrak's speed and capacity along its most heavily used and profitable route from 2021. / AFP PHOTO / Brendan SmialowskiBRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images