Amtrak Makes Major Customer Experience Investments in Comfort, Modernization
In all, more than 450 railcars will be refreshed over the next three years at an investment of $28 million, extending the useful life and modernizing cars that were delivered in the 1980s and 1990s.
by METRO Staff
June 17, 2021
The new locomotives are designated as ALC-42 for “Amtrak Long-distance Charger, 4,200-horsepower” and 75 of these units have been ordered from Siemens Mobility in Sacramento, Calif.
Photos courtesy Amtrak
2 min to read
Amtrak initiated a multi-million-dollar, multi-year project to improve the customer experience aboard its long-distance trains serving overnight routes across the country. Elements of this work were displayed this week at Chicago Union Station.
Modernized interiors of Amtrak’s bi-level “Superliner” fleet, serving primarily midwestern, southern, and western routes, will improve comfort with new seating cushions and upholstery, carpet, LED lighting, tables, and curtains. All Superliner Coaches, Sleeping Cars, Dining Cars, and Sightseer Lounges will be refreshed. “Viewliner I” Sleeping Cars operating to and from the east and southeast will be similarly improved.
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In all, more than 450 railcars will be refreshed over the next three years at an investment of $28 million, extending the useful life and modernizing cars that were delivered in the 1980s and 1990s. The first refreshed coaches will carry travelers this summer, with the other three types of Superliners deployed starting this fall.
Modernized interiors of Amtrak’s bi-level “Superliner” fleet, serving primarily midwestern, southern, and western routes, will improve comfort with new seating cushions and upholstery, carpet, LED lighting, tables, and curtains.
Also at the Chicago event, Amtrak showed the first of its new U.S.-built low-emissions diesel-electric locomotives that are cleaner and faster than the ones they are replacing. The new locomotives are designated as ALC-42 for “Amtrak Long-distance Charger, 4,200-horsepower” and 75 of these units have been ordered from Siemens Mobility in Sacramento, Calif.
These are just the latest in a series of Amtrak customer experience improvements in recent days. Others include:
The just announced restoration of traditional dining service on six western routes, starting June 23. Menus from the reimagined and enhanced service were shown at this event.
Completed earlier this month was the resumption of daily service for 12 long distance routes, following almost eight months of pandemic-related schedule reductions.
The new electronic USA Rail Pass, an affordable way to take a multi-segment train journey across America, is now offering convenient self-service features for travelers. USA Rail Pass customers can take up to ten rides in a 30-day period to see the country and explore sights at more than 500 destinations. It is available for $299 through June 22, a savings of $200.
An expanded BidUp program now offers customers an opportunity to place a bid to upgrade into one of Amtrak’s premium services, including from coach class to private rooms.
Amtrak will open grant applications March 23 for community projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore as part of a $50 million investment tied to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program.
The Denmark Station $2.3 million construction investment project includes a new 280-foot concrete boarding platform, built eight inches above the top of rail, for improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities and families with small children and much more.
Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.
The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.
Under the plan, all long-distance routes will transition to a universal single-level fleet, replacing today’s mix of bi-level and single-level equipment.
