Amtrak Plan To Replace Dozens Of Aging Trains: Cost $7.3B

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published July 7, 2021 at 3:36 PM EDT

Amtrak plans to spend $7.3 billion to replace 83 passenger trains, some of which are nearly a half-century old.

The railroad says it is contracting with a unit of Siemens AG of Germany to build the trains at a factory in California.

Amtrak says some of the trains will be diesel/electric hybrids. The trains, scheduled to begin running in 2024, will go to lines including in New York and New England. They'll have more comfortable seating, better ventilation systems, individual power outlets and USB ports, and onboard WiFi.

The railroad has an option to buy 130 additional trains from Siemens.

Much of the funding for the contract hasn’t been approved by Congress, but Amtrak says it can finance the purchases if needed.

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Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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