Cascades Airo Fleet to Have Own Livery

The Airo equipment that will be assigned to Amtrak Cascades service in the Pacific Northwest will have its own livery.

The scheme will feature Cascades evergreen and mocha colors with graphics of Mt. Hood and Mt. Rainier on each car.

The equipment is expected to begin revenue service in 2026 between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Eugene Oregon, via Seattle and Portland.

“The branding of our new trains is unique to the Amtrak Cascades corridor, distinguishing them from others in the Amtrak fleet,” said Ron Pate, director of the Washington Department of Transportation Rail, Freight and Ports Division.

The Airo equipment is being built by Siemens Mobility in Sacramento, California.

Airo equipment will replace Amfleet equipment on eastern corridor routes. That equipment, though, will feature another livery that Amtrak recently unveiled that features red, white and blue as its primary colors.

In a news release, WSDOT said the Airo equipment to be used in Cascades service will arrive over a period of several months and be subjected to testing and inspections before it is put into revenue service.

The Cascades trains are funded largely the WSDOT and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Reservations Required for Thanksgiving Holiday Travel on Amtrak Pacific Surfliner Trains

Travel on Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner trains during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period will require reservations between Nov. 23 and 28.

In a service advisory, Amtrak said that during the period tickets will only be valid for the train for which a passenger has a reservation.

Passengers using a monthly pass or 10-trip ticket must confirm each trip in advance through the Amtrak RideReserve program.

Trips can be confirmed on Amtrak.com or the Amtrak app by retrieving your ticket, choosing the date and direction of travel and selecting “confirm” on the train you would like to reserve a seat on.

Passengers can also reserve in advance through an Amtrak customer service agent by calling 800-USA-RAIL or at a staffed station.

Additionally, both Rail2Rail programs (COASTER and Metrolink) will observe a blackout period on the same dates.

Code share Trains 761, 770, 777 and 784 will still accept Metrolink tickets for stations between Los Angeles and Ventura.

The advisory reminded passengers that the tracks remain closed in San Clemente due to stabilization work along the right-of-way.

When traveling to/from San Diego County, a bus connection is required between Oceanside and Irvine. Connections are guaranteed. Limited service is operating to/from San Juan Capistrano.

Get more information on Thanksgiving holiday travel aboard the Pacific Surfliner.

Stabilization Work Begins on Pacific Surfliner Route

Track stabilization work has begun on the Southern California route used by Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner service between Los Angeles and San Diego.

The work is being conducted by contractor Condon-Johnson & Associates near San Clemente in Orange County where the tracks run alongside the Pacific Ocean.

The Orange County Transportation Authority said the emergency project seeks to “safely restore passenger rail service as soon as possible.”

That could be as early as late January, but the project timeline expects work to be completed in February.

During the project the authority said project engineers and geotechnical experts will continually monitor the slope next to the track.

“We are attempting to get this emergency work done as quickly as possible with safety continuing to guide all of our actions,” said OCTA Chairman and Mayor of Orange Mark A. Murphy. “Like everyone, we want to see Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner [trains] safely running again through this area. At the same time, we need first to ensure the track is no longer moving.”

OCTA officials said the construction timeline is subject to change, depending upon several factors, including securing and manufacturing necessary construction materials and inclement weather.

OCTA officials said in a news release that the agency will continue to review long-term options for protecting the rail line in this area and throughout the coastal region.

Bridge Work to Disrupt San Joaquins

Bridge work being conducted by host railroad BNSF will disrupt some Amtrak San Joaquin Service this weekend.

On Oct. 29, Train 719 will terminate at Stockton. Bus 4119 will provide alternate transportation for Train 719 between Stockton and Oakland-Jack London Square, making intermediate stops at Antioch, Martinez, Richmond and Emeryville.

On Oct. 30, Trains 710, 711 and 712, will originate/terminate at Stockton, operating between Stockton and Bakersfield only.

Buses will provide alternate transportation for Trains 710, 711 and 712, between Martinez and Stockton, excluding Antioch.

Trains 720, 724 and 737 will provide alternate transportation between Oakland and Martinez, making intermediate stops at Emeryville and Richmond.

In a service advisory, Amtrak said passengers traveling to or from Antioch may use other San Joaquins service on this day.

Pacific Surfliner Schedules Being Modified

Amtrak plans to update the schedules of its Pacific Surfliner service in California on Oct. 31 to reflect the closure of a portion of the route near San Clemente.

The track was closed Sept. 30 due to an unstable hillside adjacent to track used by Amtrak, commuter rail carrier Metrolink and BNSF freight trains.

Amtrak is instituting a bus connection between Irvine and Oceanside for southbound train 562, with train 1562 operating between Oceanside and San Diego.

Trains 770, 774, and 784 will now operate to San Juan Capistrano, although passengers continuing to stops between Oceanside and San Diego should still change to buses at Irvine.

Northbound Train 1567 will operate between San Diego and Oceanside, with a bus connection to train 567 in Irvine, while Trains 777, 581, and 591 will originate in San Juan Capistrano instead of Irvine.

Those trains will continue to wait in Irvine for buses connecting from trains operating between San Diego and Irvine.

Although work has begun to stabilize the hillside, that project is not expected to be completed until early next year.

California to Acquire Zero-Emission Trains

California officials have signed a memorandum of understanding for the design of four zero-emission train sets.

Signing the memo were manufacturer Stadler, the California State Transportation Agency, and the California Department of Transportation.

The Stadler four-car trainsets will have hydrogen fuel cells and have been designated as FLIRT H2 trainsets.

The state’s agreement with Stadler has options for 25 more trainsets, which would replace existing diesel locomotive-operated operating push-pull sets used for state-funded Amtrak California services.

Similar equipment is expected to begin commuter rail service in 2024 for the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority.

The orders are part of California’s plans to make all its passenger rail 100 percent emissions-free by 2035.

The first four new zero emission multiple units as Caltrans describes them, will be used in the California Central Valley between Merced and Sacramento beginning in 2027.

Those four HFC trainsets are longer intercity versions of the original Stadler ZEMU and will be built in Salt Lake City.

Stadler and CalSTA say the new trainsets are designed with a 497-mile operating range in between refueling.

Amtrak Selling Retired Talgo Equipment

Amtrak plans to sell at auction its retired Talgo Series 6 trainsets.

The passenger carrier has advertised that it is selling 28 cars, including two baggage cars, two bistro cars, two dining cars, 11 coaches, two cars listed as “first class” coaches, two “first class” ADA coaches, two ADA coaches, three ADA coaches with lavatory, and two HEP power cars.

All but two of these cars are being stored at Amtrak’s Beech Grove’s shops near Indianapolis. The other two, a coach and an ADA coach with lavatory are in Seattle.

The deadline to submit a bid was Sept. 30.

Two other Series VI trainsets owned by the state of Washington were sold to a scrapper in Southern Californi.

Series 8 Talgo trainsets owned by the state of Oregon remain in service on some Cascades Service runs.

California Accepts Delivery of Venture Cars

The California Department of Transportation has accepted from Siemens Mobility 49 Venture cars that will be used for Bakersfield-Oakland/Sacramento San Joaquin trains.

Amtrak will be inspecting the equipment before it is placed in revenue service, which officials said is likely several months away.

Before the cars can begin service, the various parties involved in operating the trains must reach agreements on insurance liability.

The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority, operator of the San Joaquins, has chosen Herzog Contracting. to service the new equipment at Stockton.

Herzog has a maintenance facility there to maintain equipment for Altamont Commuter Express.

In total Siemens is building 137 Venture cars for use in Amtrak corridor services.

California will have 28 coaches, 14 vending food-service cars, and seven cab coaches.

The vending cars are expected to begin revenue service in 2023 while the cab coaches will begin service by 2024.

Some Venture coaches have already begun operating in corridor services in Illinois, Michigan, and Missouri.

The first of the Venture cars began revenue service late last winter between Chicago and St. Louis but were removed from service due to various mechanical issues.

Venture equipment has since been assigned to Midwest corridor routes in the Midwest.

The Venture cars initially arrived at Amtrak in summer 2020 to begin undergoing testing.

Until Venture food service cars arrive, Amtrak has been assigning Horizon and Amfleet I food service cars to Midwest corridor trains using Venture coaches.

The Venture food service cares being built for Midwest service will have a cafe configuration similar to Horizon and Amfleet food-service cars and will have a business class section.

New Interiors Garnish Pacific Surfliner Cars

New interiors have been provided to the passenger cars hosting business class service on Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner route in California.

The 10 original Pacific Surfliner business-class cars built by Alstom in 2000-2002 have been upgraded with new carpeting, curtains, and leather seat upholstery.

The work was done by Amtrak personnel in Los Angeles.

Business class on the route includes wine, snack packs, morning pastries, soft drinks, coffee, and juice served by an attendant.

Puja Thomas-Patel, marketing and communications manager for the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency, said new seats and seats and cushions use Federal Railroad Administration-approved smoke and flame-resistant material.

Thomas-Patel said afternoon and evening food offerings include s crackers, hummus, cookies, and jerky, with Truly Hard Seltzer recently added to the beverage selection.

All Pacific Surfliner trains in the San Diego-San Luis Obispo corridor offer business class.

Stockton Ticket Office Temporarily Closed

The Amtrak ticket office in Stockton, California, has temporarily closed.

In a service advisory, Amtrak said passengers will continue to have access to boarding platforms and the station.

The advisory did not say why the ticket office closed or when it is expected to reopen.

Passengers are being encouraged to wait in their personal vehicles or to be dropped off rather than waiting for trains outdoors.

Stockton is served by Amtrak’s San Joaquin Service trains