AMTRAK has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to rolling stock manufacturers to begin the process of replacing its long-distance coach fleet.
The new fleets will replace 800 coaches in use on 14 overnight routes. They include Superliner I and II double-deck sleeping, lounge, and dining cars as well as Viewliner I and II single-deck sleeping, dining and baggage cars, and Amfleet II business class and catering cars.
The multi-billion-dollar procurement is made possible through funding provided by the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Congress. Amtrak CEO, Mr Stephen Gardner, told IRJ earlier this year that the order will be “the largest passenger train order in the United States since the 1940s.”
The RFP outlines requirements to improve core elements of Amtrak’s long-distance service, including coach seating, private rooms, catering service, enhanced accessibility, and route experience. Following vendor selection, critical steps of final design, development and production are expected to occur over the next few years. Deliveries are projected to begin in the early 2030s
Amtrak says the new fleet will enable the company to introduce an updated product that “meets current and future market expectations, improves customer experience, reimagines onboard accessibility and mobility, improves operational efficiency, and bolsters sustainability, resiliency, and ridership.”
The announcement of the RFP follows a formal Request for Information (RFI) issued in December 2022, which was sent to prospective manufacturers defining and describing the scope of replacing the fleet. Amtrak confirmed that 10 suppliers responded to the RFI in early 2023, helping to shape this RFP.
“We believe in the future of our Long-Distance service,” says Amtrak board chair Mr Tony Coscia. “Amtrak’s Long-Distance network provides vital mobility and an economic link for communities around the country. A new Amtrak Long Distance fleet will help us modernise and transform the service to meet the needs of customers now and into the future.”
“The Federal Railroad Administration firmly believes that inter-city passenger rail service, including long distance service, has an important role to play in America’s transportation network,” says FRA administrator, Mr Amit Bose. “Millions of Americans depend on long distance service annually as a transportation alternative to congested highways and airports, and they deserve a modern, safe, and convenient experience.”
The long-distance fleet replacement RFP is one of several Amtrak investments aimed at upgrading and enhancing the Long-Distance customer experience, including refreshing passenger coach interiors, restoring stored equipment to active service and improving stations, onboard amenities, sales and support channels. Recent highlights include:
• purchasing 125 ALC-42 long-distance locomotives from Siemens Mobility, with more than three dozen already in service.
• investing $US 28m for interior upgrades to 400 bi-level Superliner and 49 Viewliner cars. Nearly 200 Superliner cars have been refreshed and are now in revenue service and the Viewliner refresh will begin in 2024, and
• restoring and repairing 63 idled coaches by the end of 2024.
Amtrak long distance ridership grew by more than 12% across the network in fiscal year 2023, which ended on September 30 2023, serving nearly 3.9 million passengers.
