WASHINGTON — While it is less than a definitive document, Amtrak has outlined its five-year plan for its equipment fleet, indicating the locomotives and cars it aims to replace or refurbish, as well as indications of how it would use that fleet.
Amtrak’s “Five Year Equipment Asset Line Plan,” issued last week, is presented as “not simply an equipment replacement program — it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to advance Amtrak’s operations and product in ways that will maximize ridership, revenue, and customer satisfaction while increasing Amtrak’s efficiency in terms of both controlling costs and utilizing equipment resources.” It notes that Amtrak’s current railcar fleet averages nearly 33 years of age, while locomotives average nearly 21 years of age.
The plan indicates the types of equipment the passenger railroad hopes to acquire or rebuild, but does not attempt to define the quantities of that equipment, noting specific needs will “become clear throughout the next 12 to 24 months” based on several key factors:
— Possible changes to Amtrak’s long-distance route or service structure. The Trump administration’s 2020 budget proposal would eliminate long-distance service, a corridor-focused model embraced by Amtrak’s current management [See “News Analysis: Trump plan to eliminate long-distance trains mirrored by Amtrak budget request,” Trains News Wire, March 25, 2019].
— Potential changes that could come from outsourced food service, a concept Amtrak began exploring with a request for information last fall [See “Analysis: Amtrak trends continue in exploration of outside food service providers,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 13, 2018]
— Possible involvement of state partners in Amtrak orders, and their equipment needs and preferences.
— Seating capacity of equipment offered by manufacturers.
The plan addresses seven areas of equipment need. Three are already being addressed: the order for 130 Viewliner II long-distance cars, of which 97 were active as of October 2018; the order for 28 Avelia Liberty high speed trainsets for the Northeast Corridor, intended to be in service by 2022, and the order for diesel locomotives to replace the current P-40 and P-42 fleet. Amtrak has ordered 75 Siemens Charger locomotives [see “Siemens to supply 75 new Tier 4 locomotives to Amtrak,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 21, 2018]; that order could eventually grow to as many as 175 units.
The plan outlines four other facets of needs for the Amtrak fleet:
— Replacement of Amfleet I cars, either with railcars, self-propelled multiple-unit equipment, or other trainsets. These could be diesel, electric or dual-mode.
— Acquisition of dual-power equipment — either locomotives or trainsets — to eliminate current engine changes between diesel and electric power at locations in the Northeast.
— Development of a plan for multilevel cars to replace the current Superliners (and, potentially, California and Surfliner cars), with those cars entering service between 2026 and 2031.
— Refreshing of Amfleet II, Superliner, Horizon and Viewliner I equipment, as well as possible reconfiguration of Viewliner I sleeping cars and Viewliner II dining cars.
Amtrak estimates funding to execute the plan could approach $3.5 billion through 2024, with $1.4 of that for the replacement of the Amfleet equipment. An additional $1 billion to $1.5 billion could be needed after 2024 to complete the Amfleet replacement.
Amtrak has ordered chargers? I thought only the States had?
The former Nippon-Sharyo plant in Rochelle, Illinois is still vacant and for sale. Perhaps one of the other passenger car manufacturers could acquire it and use it to build those new multi-level cars that Amtrak is talking about.
Let’s make them all the same shape as the new viewliners with the same striping and make our trains streamlined again. It would help Amtrak’s image if it was uniform versus the current hodgepodge of paint and shapes.
The Amfleet design ruins the beauty of any passenger train they are included in. Glad to see them go.
Penelope you overlooked one part of those statements…”maximize ridership”, which in plain American English means more people in less space(think of modern jets). As for going all single level for long distance services, has no one paid attention to the line clearances that have taken place on the Eastern carriers? Keep in mind that the current Superliners only stand 16’4″ over the top of the rails, that’s 4′ less than a double stack container train..so any route that has had clearances raised to accommodate double stacks can now accommodate Superliners…and it wouldn’t take much to create the necessary clearance at some end points if needed.
“…possible reconfiguration of Viewliner I sleeping cars and Viewliner II dining cars.” Hmmmmm……….
Yes Jim and Penelope, Amtrak trains look like garbage, which is the least of Amtrak’s problems. The Siemens locomotives are a recent improvement, at least aesthetically.
Here in the Midwest (or I guess anywhere it snows) the trains are a sandwich of Horizon and Amfleet, one type at each end because of the snow, the less snow-proof vestibule in the middle. (I must admit I don’t remember which is which, I’ll tell you when my train boards 8:00 tomorrow morning.) The former F-40 used as a cab/ baggage car (opposite end from the Siemens locomotive) looks horrible.
Replacing Superliners with more multi-level cars should be out of the question for long distance trains. Single-level passenger cars should be universal throughout the long distance system to allow greater flexibility in train assignments with through cars or whole trains between the Northeast and the rest of the nation. Spacious ceilings and access to the whole train by the handicapped and infirmed would be beneficial rather than be confined to the lower level of the assigned Superliner or other multilevel car. Full-length dome lounge cars can be added to trains outside the Northeast Corridor.
To @Mr_Jim_Norton’s remark about the Amfleet cars not being aesthetically pleasing on trains, the same can be said of the Superliners. Their high profile conflicts with the low profile harmony of the locomotives and baggage cars ahead. The streamlined appearance of the train is broken by the drastic difference in height between the Superliners and the low profile baggage car and locomotives