Amtrak is spending billions on new train cars. The Northeast Corridor should be 1st in line, some experts say.

When Amtrak's sleek new Airo train cars roll off the assembly line in 2026, they're headed for the Cascades route in the Pacific Northwest.

But some experts think the new California-built vehicles — with upgraded safety features — should head to our region first to replace some of Amtrak's oldest train cars running on the heavily trafficked Northeast Corridor.

The Amfleet rail cars, the workhorses of Amtrak's routes, including the Northeast Regional from Washington to Boston, meet current federal safety standards, but continuing to use them on the high-speed corridor creates potential risks, said Paul Reistrup, who was the second president of the national railroad.