Amtrak Starts the Process for New Overnight Trains

[Mpn4179]

Per the Amtrak website:

https://media.amtrak.com/2023/01/amtrak-starts-the-process-for-new-overnight-trains/

January 19, 2023

Amtrak Starts the Process for New Overnight Trains

First formal step to replace overnight trains in four decades

WASHINGTON – A new era at Amtrak accelerates this year, with as many as ten manufacturers submitting their ideas on replacement railcars for world-famous routes such as the Auto Train, California Zephyr, Coast Starlight, Crescent, Empire Builder and Southwest Chief. This marks the first formal step to completely reequip the Amtrak Long Distance Network that provides vital service on 14 overnight routes from coast to coast.

“Purchasing new long distance train cars will allow Amtrak to upgrade and modernize the iconic and vital overnight services that link our nation’s major regions. We are looking for new trains that improve safety, reliability, accessibility, and efficiency while offering the features our customers believe are most important to modernizing overnight train travel for the 21st century,” said Amtrak Board Chair Tony Coscia.

Last month, a Request for Information was sent to potential suppliers defining and describing the scope of Amtrak’s overnight train fleet—including Superliner I & II, Viewliner I & II and Amfleet II railcars—and solicited input from manufacturers regarding the replacement of this equipment. As part of this effort, Amtrak is also researching design elements and customer amenities to evolve overnight and cross-country train travel in the coming decades.

Later this year, Amtrak plans to take the next step by issuing a formal procurement request. Funding for the future purchases is being provided to Amtrak through the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act enacted by Congress and the Biden Administration in 2021.

“This represents the final phase in our long-term plan to replace our trains—beginning with new Acela equipment and continuing with the Amtrak Airo trains announced last month,” Coscia said. “We believe in the future of our Long Distance service and we look forward to enhancing the customer experience across the Amtrak network, and further supporting U.S. manufacturing.”

The existing fleet of overnight railcars has been delivered to Amtrak over the course of 40 years—with the first of more than 800 cars entering service in 1979. Most of the equipment in the current fleet will approach the end of its service life after the next decade.

Last year, Amtrak ordered 125 new diesel-electric locomotives, primarily for use on Long Distance routes. Over the last two years, Amtrak has invested $580 million toward $1.75 billion in accessibility improvements at Amtrak stations—largely along these routes. Additionally, Amtrak dedicated $28 million to refresh railcars in the current overnight fleet, aiming to bridge the future fleet’s arrival.

Edited February 27, 2023 by Mpn4179

[trainfan22]

I'm curious if the superliner replacements will be bi level. I'd rather the whole LD fleet have a uniform single level fleet rather than now with the east coast/LSL having an separate fleet from the midwest & west coast LD trains.

[xD4nn]

On 2/28/2023 at 7:08 PM, trainfan22 said:

I'm curious if the superliner replacements will be bi level. I'd rather the whole LD fleet have a uniform single level fleet rather than now with the east coast/LSL having an separate fleet from the midwest & west coast LD trains.

Having the whole fleet be single-level is an unwise decision. 

[Lex]

3 hours ago, xD4nn said:

Having the whole fleet be single-level is an unwise decision. 

Why?

[xD4nn]

6 hours ago, Lex said:

Why?

Because many stops are very small and would foul something. Making everything single-level would double the length of trains which will also double the amount of time at the station.

[Lex]

1 hour ago, xD4nn said:

Because many stops are very small and would foul something. Making everything single-level would double the length of trains which will also double the amount of time at the station.

Because there definitely aren't any other things that can possibly offset this, such as extending platforms or running more trains, I guess.

If you're that adamant about it, I guess something akin to the Stadler KISS could be used.

[xD4nn]

15 minutes ago, Lex said:

Because there definitely aren't any other things that can possibly offset this, such as extending platforms or running more trains, I guess.

If you're that adamant about it, I guess something akin to the Stadler KISS could be used.

You cannot extend the platforms at most LD stations... Amtrak will not be using KISS for their trains. Amtrak simply does not like MUs.

Edited March 4, 2023 by xD4nn

[Missabassie]

On 2/28/2023 at 7:08 PM, trainfan22 said:

I'm curious if the superliner replacements will be bi level. I'd rather the whole LD fleet have a uniform single level fleet rather than now with the east coast/LSL having an separate fleet from the midwest & west coast LD trains.

I'm of the opinion those superliners are too big for their own good.

 

On 3/4/2023 at 11:21 AM, xD4nn said:

You cannot extend the platforms at most LD stations... Amtrak will not be using KISS for their trains. Amtrak simply does not like MUs.

Doesn't like MU's? Thats a weird stance.... 

America is just sooo goddamn boring.

[xD4nn]

3 hours ago, Missabassie said:

I'm of the opinion those superliners are too big for their own good.

 

Doesn't like MU's? Thats a weird stance.... 

America is just sooo goddamn boring.

MUs are more expensive to run and you can't run as much cars...

[Lex]

14 hours ago, xD4nn said:

MUs are more expensive to run and you can't run as much cars...

Yeah, I'm gonna need some reliable sources for these claims. This site is not a toilet, after all.

[xD4nn]

7 hours ago, Lex said:

Yeah, I'm gonna need some reliable sources for these claims. This site is not a toilet, after all.

Talk to any worker lmfao. EMUs are much more expensive to maintain than locomotives.

[Lex]

55 minutes ago, xD4nn said:

Talk to any worker lmfao. EMUs are much more expensive to maintain than locomotives.

That's it?

[xD4nn]

3 minutes ago, Lex said:

That's it?

Considering the fact that MUs are useless on LD trains id say yes that's it.

[IAlam]

On 3/4/2023 at 11:21 AM, xD4nn said:

You cannot extend the platforms at most LD stations... Amtrak will not be using KISS for their trains. Amtrak simply does not like MUs.

Stadler is flexible if they really want to bid on the order they can come up with individual push-pull cars based on the design. 

That being said there's been a big debate over this on the Amtrak forums. What it basically boils down to is if a manufacturer can figure out how to make a double-decker train that is accessible to all areas of the train ie diners, coach cars, sleepers, and observation cars.  I'm not sure if the entire train needs to be accessible but at the bare minimum, a wheelchair passenger is able to get between at least one portion of one car to another. 

[engineerboy6561]

On 3/9/2023 at 5:29 PM, IAlam said:

Stadler is flexible if they really want to bid on the order they can come up with individual push-pull cars based on the design. 

That being said there's been a big debate over this on the Amtrak forums. What it basically boils down to is if a manufacturer can figure out how to make a double-decker train that is accessible to all areas of the train ie diners, coach cars, sleepers, and observation cars.  I'm not sure if the entire train needs to be accessible but at the bare minimum, a wheelchair passenger is able to get between at least one portion of one car to another. 

I mean, you probably can do it but it would be difficult and a lot of the train would need to be very light in order to offset the weight of the wheelchair lifts. You could use something like this at each end of the car if you went with a multilevel structure, or one in each car if you went with a Superliner-style architecture where the through passage is at the top. It wouldn't be impossible to do, but the question would be reliability and uptime; the lift would probably be the most finicky part of the car.

[engineerboy6561]

On 3/8/2023 at 7:29 AM, Lex said:

Yeah, I'm gonna need some reliable sources for these claims. This site is not a toilet, after all.

For once he's kind of right; it's a weird quirk of American railroading law. Coaches need to be inspected every 90 days; locomotives are I believe every 30 and the inspection is far more stringent, and MUs count as locomotives. As far as I'm concerned that wouldn't preclude running them; once you're running mostly fixed-length trainsets you might as well distribute the traction motors, engines, and power converters across the set, and even if you need flexibility it wouldn't be terribly hard to do a design where cars that you expect to need to add more of are configured as powered trailers that can couple with an otherwise MU'd consist.