Amtrak is taking its first steps in acquiring brand new long-haul trains to replace its aging fleet.
On Wednesday, Amtrak announced that it had begun soliciting bids for manufacturers to build and deliver more than 800 new rail cars across 14 of the agency’s long-distance routes.
Amtrak officials said it’ll be the largest long-distance train order in the passenger railroad’s history.
“New era, new trains. This is Amtrak’s moment,” said Amtrak president Roger Harris in a promotional video posted to YouTube. “Our customers deserve the best. This new fleet will move us full speed ahead into a new era of American train travel.”
Amtrak says this initiative was made in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration, with a goal of modernizing the Amtrak fleet across its overnight and cross-country fleet—many of which have been in service for nearly 50 years.
“These new rail cars will finally replace Amtrak’s aging fleet and bring travelers the world-class service they deserve,” said Federal Rail Authority Administrator David Fink. “The FRA is working closely with Amtrak to deliver these modern American-made cars that will help improve safety, reliability, and the customer experience.”
Wednesday’s action is a crucial, procedural first step. Amtrak has now submitted a formal request to train manufacturers interested in supplying the railroad with new train cars, and those suppliers will have to draft and submit detailed proposals in order to be selected.
Amtrak said those proposals will undergo an “extensive evaluation” before a manufacturer is chosen by the end of 2027.
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Jim Mathews, Rail Passengers Association CEO, said the trains will need to fit a certain criteria: state-of-the-art technology, built in America and be of a standardized vehicle type.
“Amtrak’s new and improved Long Distance fleet replacement strategy prioritizes fleet standardization, broadens competition among potential carbuilders, reduces program risk, and accelerates the replacement of aging passenger cars,” a news release from Amtrak states. “Under this plan, all long-distance routes will transition to a universal single-level fleet, replacing today’s mix of bi-level and single-level equipment.”
Long-distance Amtrak trains offer more than just getaway trips
Amtrak’s long distance routes aren’t necessarily just for people wanting to ride from one side of the country to the other. With stops along those nationwide routes, they connect small towns and rural communities with major cities and economic hubs.
Amtrak did not specify if the new fleet of train cars will coincide with increased service on these routes, but these newer train cars will likely require less downtime for repairs and servicing, which is one of the existing barriers to increasing service.
This is the latest step in Amtrak’s revitalization, made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed under President Joe Biden.
In addition to new train cars on its long-distance routes, Amtrak has begun receiving new “high-powered ALC-42 locomotives” to propel them.
Amtrak also highlighted the launch of the high-speed Alstom-built Acela trains currently in operation on the Northeast Corridor, and the next-generation Airo trains that will begin operating on the popular Amtrak Cascades route later this year.
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Earlier this month, Amtrak announced it would be adding an additional Pacific Surfliner train in California to provided increased service between San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles. The Surfliner, which provides daily trips and operates in the LOSSAN corridor between San Luis Obispo and San Diego, is the busiest-state supported Amtrak route in the U.S.
It is the second-busiest intercity corridor in the nation behind only the aforementioned Northeast Corridor, which connects Boston, Massachusetts with Washington D.C., with stops in New York City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Baltimore, Maryland—among others.
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