PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Amtrak plans to introduce state-of-the-art trains to the region in a couple years to provide more reliable and frequent service.
A groundbreaking ceremony for a new maintenance facility to support the system took place at Amtrak’s Penn Coach Rail Yard near 30th Street Station Friday. Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner had his hands on one of the shovels. He says the existing fleet will eventually be replaced by 83 new, integrated trainsets known as Amtrak Airo trains.
They are expected to be introduced to the region in 2026 and will operate on several routes including the Northeast Regional, Keystone Service and Pennsylvanian.
"These trains require a new maintenance facility to be able to operate because they are not single cars, they are integrated train sets, and like everything in our universe today, they are more than just steel and copper, they are, in fact, computers on wheels with tons of digital assets that need specialized maintenance and equipment,” Gardner said.
This $462 million project is fully funded by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Similar projects are happening in five other places including Boston, New York and Seattle.
White House Deputy Assistant to the President for Infrastructure Implementation Samantha Silverberg says this project will create good-paying jobs, including about 250 construction jobs, and additional union workers who will maintain the train sets once the project is complete.
Amtrak says ridership is back and exceeding pre-pandemic demand. It says the new trains and maintenance facility will help improve turnaround times, increase capacity and give the rider a better overall experience.