Amtrak to Order Cars for Long-Distance Routes

Manufacturer for 800+ units will be selected by the end of 2027

Amtrak announced this week that it has launched procurement for more than 800 rail cars for its long-distance routes. The process began with Amtrak making a formal request for suppliers to bid on the contract, which would be Amtrak’s largest long-distance train order.

The rail car replacement program “prioritizes fleet standardization, broadens competition among potential carbuilders, reduces program risk, and accelerates the replacement of aging passenger cars that today approach nearly half-a-century of service. 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,” Amtrak said in a press release announcing the request for bids.

The order is expected to include single-level coaches, sleeping cars, dining cars, and lounge cars.

This is excellent news, as we have been urging Amtrak to place this rail car order. The need isn’t simply to replace aging equipment, some of which will be over 50 years old by the time the new equipment arrives, but also to expand the fleet. Lack of capacity on long-distance routes has made booking difficult, and kept fares high. Adding coaches and sleeping cars to each train will make accommodations more available.

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Thank you to everyone who contacted U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. We are making progress, but we are not finished with this project. Amtrak plans to announce its selected supplier by the end of 2027. That’s 20 months away; perhaps we can influence Amtrak to act with greater urgency. No matter what, we must stay engaged to assure there are no further delays, so that we can start to see these new units being delivered and placed into service as soon as possible.

Also, we have estimated that Amtrak needs 1,086 new units immediately, and more on an ongoing basis. Amtrak calls this order a “once-in-a-generation fleet replacement program,” but it shouldn’t be. Amtrak should be placing coach orders every year. It’s easier to do it as well – “Just give us x number more of what we ordered last year.” (It’s not literally that simple, but it is far less complicated than a gigantic contract that comes every 20 years.)

Amtrak currently operates 14 long-distance routes. The Silver Star and Capitol Limited are now combined as the Floridian, but that is expected to be temporary, for the duration of rehabilitation of the East River tunnels in New York City. Once those routes are separated again, Amtrak will then be back to 15 long-distance routes. The equipment in this order is for all of those routes.

Amtrak long-distance trains are the only transportation in much of the country. They provide valuable, essential service. Passengers deserve to ride on modern trains.

Image © Amtrak