Amtrak is planning to replace its fleet of train cars used on 14 overnight routes.
The purchase, which could be valued in the billions of dollars, would upgrade cars that in some cases have been in use for 40 years, according to the passenger rail service. It could also be one step toward improving on-time performance, though other efforts are also needed, Amtrak board Chair Anthony Coscia said.
The new rail cars, which would run on routes like the California Zephyr between Chicago and San Francisco and the Cardinal between New York and Chicago, are the latest plans for investment in a system that Coscia said has for years been underfunded. Efforts are already underway to modernize some shorter-distance trains in other parts of the country and roll out new locomotives, and the agency has outlined a vision for a major, decadeslong expansion of rail service, subject to funding.
