Amtrak's FY 2020-2024 (5 year) Fleet Plan now available

Amtrak's future fleet plans can now be viewed/downloaded at: https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/.../Amtrak-Equipment-Asset-Line-Plan-FY20-24.pdf

Executive Summary

Amtrak’s Equipment Asset Line includes the railroad’s fleet of passenger locomotives, railcars and trainsets. The equipment is used to carry customers on the railroad’s three intercity rail passenger service lines: the Northeast Corridor, State Supported and Long Distance.

Amtrak operates a fleet of predominantly custom-built equipment, a significant portion of which is at or nearing the end of its useful service life. As of late 2018, the active fleet includes some 262 road diesel locomotives, 66 electric locomotives, 1,408 passenger cars and 20 high-speed trainsets. Additionally, Amtrak and various state partners own fleets of seven Talgo trainsets and 49 Alstom Surfliner railcars, with Amtrak owning 29 Talgo car equivalents and 39 Surfliner cars. Amtrak also operates 196 locomotives and railcars owned wholly by state partners.

With the railcar fleet averaging nearly 33 years of age, diesel locomotives averaging nearly 21 years of age, and a long lead-time to procure any replacement units, Amtrak is focused on the continued modernization of its passenger car, locomotive and trainset fleets. ...

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Amtrak is currently still receiving the long delayed CAF single level cars, has on order the Acela Express replacement trainsets, and has recently issued a Request For Proposal to replace the Amfleet I trainsets that date back to 1976.

Amtrak's long distance Western routes run with double deck Superliner I and II rolling stock which are now long in tooth and in need of interior refresh and mechanical renewal. Of concern to some US railfans was whether Amtrak would propose to replace this fleet (assuming that long distance trains are still running) with single or bi-level cars (the former a possibilty given the need to comply with Americans With Disabilities (ADA) accessibility requirements). This report appears to point towards future double deck long distance trains.

It will be interesting to see if VIA Rail Canada will plan any tag on orders--which of course depends upon how the political winds are blowing up North, as VIA's single level long distance fleet is also 60+ years old. VIA was supposed to take delivery of double deck cars in the 1980s, but ended up not doing so. Amtrak picked up that order and it is now the Superliner II fleet.

The Appendix has a roster of Amtrak's current car and locomotive fleet, including those stored but not yet scrapped.

Thanks for that and the link - most interesting.

And all that material listed; even that stuff that is gone for decades!

Shinkansenfan said:

Of concern to some US railfans was whether Amtrak would propose to replace this fleet (assuming that long distance trains are still running) with single or bi-level cars (the former a possibilty given the need to comply with Americans With Disabilities (ADA) accessibility requirements). This report appears to point towards future double deck long distance trains.

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With platforms west of Chicago being not much above rail level, a single deck solution is probably worse for accessibility. The Superliners access doors are on the lower deck which is only a couple of steps up from rail level and on most of them has toilets and some seating. A future solution might have a wheelchair lift or deployable ramp for platform access and perhaps an internal lift if accessible accommodation can't be confined to the lower level.

The whole thing could be academic if Trump gets his way. He is by no means the first president to try to slash Amtrak's funding and Congress generally provides enough resistance to allow Amtrak to maintain a reasonably wide coverage albeit with very thin frequencies on some runs. However it would appear that Trump deems Amtrak undeserving of any operational subsidy arguing that the high cost western routes could be much more economically provided by road transport. In practice any funding shortfall would lead to the affected states trying to fill the gaps but with long runs passing through many different states it could be difficult to get agreement as to what exactly should be provided. And of course most states have no money to spare anyway.

From this distance it's difficult to get a solid feel for what the likely prognosis will be but it's clear that apart from their California division all Amtrak routes west of the Mississippi are under serious threat.

Shaw S Hunter said:

The whole thing could be academic if Trump gets his way.

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I must admit that was my first thought also! I've not had chance to properly read it for myself (so thank you to the OP for the summary so I could get a flavour) but I did find myself thinking "well, this will prove to be a fairly pointless exercise if the budget or anything like it goes through!".

I remember that Donald Trump had big words during the campaign how he would improve the infrastrucure of the USA. All empty words maybe.

The Presidential budget is largely meaningless. Even Obama's budgets were trounced by his own party. Congress decides on the budget. Then the President can either sign or veto. If he vetoed , there is much ado for a week or two then he signs.
The long distance equipment is worn out. In the scheme of things, most people wouldn't notice if they were gone tomorrow. However, politics may save them, you just never know.

Amtrak has somehow manged to survive for 48 years, so I suspect it'll carry on for a while yet. The long-distance trains are politically useful to Amtrak - without them some states would not have any passenger trains at all, putting at risk budget support from state politicians in Congress and the Senate.

In the context of a $4700 billion federal budget, $2 billion or so subsidy for Amtrak is lost in the noise, really...which is why it's a handy, cheap political football used to generate some PR 'news' to distract from discussion of more serious issues. As philabos says re. the long-distance trains, "most people wouldn't notice if they were gone tomorrow"

To the long distance train fans, it is an article of faith that they generate support in Congress therefor they must be retained or the 85% of Amtrak passengers that don't ride them will be abandoned.
Chicago Metra, the suburban commuter railroad, gets almost all of its capital from Congress. They don't serve Minot ND in order to obtain that money. There are always trade offs in Congress. Chicago gets transit money, someone else gets a new road.
The Southwest Chief traverses over 250 miles of track primarily in New Mexico which is not used by any other trains. There is no freight service. BNSF, the owner, said you want to use it, you pay the bill. That's 250 miles of track that needs capital for one train a day in each direction. Congress came up with $50 million. Money well spent?
You may have your Parliamentary trains, but I doubt you can touch us.

philabos said:

The Southwest Chief traverses over 250 miles of track primarily in New Mexico which is not used by any other trains. There is no freight service. BNSF, the owner, said you want to use it, you pay the bill. That's 250 miles of track that needs capital for one train a day in each direction. Congress came up with $50 million. Money well spent?

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Probably not, to be honest.

The next gen Acelas (aka Avelia Liberty) are now well into construction phase.

Amtrak is replacing their newest equipment first.
I get it, the per mile revenue is sky high. Service used by politicians, media, finance on expense accounts. Perhaps the only Amtrak trains so utilized.
Most of the rest of the fleet nearing 50 years. There is consideration being given to replace the old Amfleet cars.

philabos said:

There is consideration being given to replace the old Amfleet cars.

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I need to get some quality Northeast Regional time while Amfleet cars are still going. As it is I preferred their pre-refurb mode but it'll be sad to see them get replaced. That's progress, I guess.

nlogax said:

I need to get some quality Northeast Regional time while Amfleet cars are still going.

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You have plenty of time.

It will be years before these cars are all replaced. Budd built a great product. Their body shells for Amtrak's Metroliner, Amfleet I and II and the New York City Transit R-32 fleet are still in service and robust.

PATCO (Philadelphia) has opted to rebuild their 1968 vintage Budd built cars instead of buying new.Viva la Budd cars!

I see your avatar is of one of the subway stations near where I live.

Amtrak always seems to make such a meal of changes to their operating methods. For example, the report goes on at length about the benefits of introducing Bi-mode equipment, described as a new overseas technology, including a reference to the UK's Azuma units, and describes all sorts of current inefficiencies that changing locomotives from electric to diesel encounters.

It then without comment moves on to describing the P32 locos as now life expired - units which have provided exactly this Bi-mode approach since they were built, and could have continued on to point out that they, in turn, had replaced comparable classic Bi-mode locos from the 1950s.

Shinkansenfan said:

You have plenty of time.

It will be years before these cars are all replaced. Budd built a great product. Their body shells for Amtrak's Metroliner, Amfleet I and II and the New York City Transit R-32 fleet are still in service and robust.

PATCO (Philadelphia) has opted to rebuild their 1968 vintage Budd built cars instead of buying new.Viva la Budd cars!

I see your avatar is of one of the subway stations near where I live.

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It's a fair point, have to admit the pace of the Avelia build as demoed in that video has surprised me. I had half a hunch that funding would be a problem considering the current federal climate but it appears as though that's not the case (for this project, anyway..obviously can't say the same for the Gateway program).

Had read about PATCO and happy to hear the old cars were rebuilt. I've traveled dozens of times on it from Lindenwold into Center City for nights out, and pre-refurb they were a retro joy. Will add to the 'must do again' list!