AASHTO Journal - Amtrak Unveils New Airo Train Sets in Nation’s Capital

At a special February 10 event in Washington, D.C., Amtrak showcased its first new Airo train – an entirely new generation of trains slated to enter service on the Amtrak Cascades route on the Pacific Northwest corridor between Seattle, WA; Portland OR; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Eugene, OR.

[Above photo by Amtrak]

Amtrak noted in a statement that all eight Amtrak Cascades Airo trainsets are expected to be completed and in service this year, with the first Airo trainsets for the passenger rail provider’s Northeast Regional route slated to complete production and begin testing this year as well; with revenue service expected to commence in 2027.

Looking ahead, 83 Airo trainsets are planned for deployment across routes nationwide in the coming years, Amtrak said.

Collectively, they will form the backbone of a modernized passenger rail network for Amtrak, the company said – expanding capacity, improving reliability, and enhancing the travel experience for customers across the country.

The introduction of the new Airo trains follows the rollout of NextGen Acela trainsets, which entered service on the Northeast Corridor in August 2025. Together, these new trainsets signal a fundamental shift in how Amtrak serves customers, the company said – reshaping the travel experience today while laying the foundation for long-term growth.

Separately, during the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials 2026 Council on Rail Transportation Winter Legislative Meeting in Crystal City, VA, Jennifer Mitchell – Amtrak’s executive vice president for strategy and planning – outlined how those new Airo trainsets will help boost the rail provider’s growth even further.

She noted that Amtrak’s capital investment went up 5.8 percent in 2025 over 2024, reflecting continued momentum across infrastructure and fleet programs, while first-quarter 2026 ridership went up 4.7 percent compared to the same quarter in 2025, building on sustained demand for passenger rail nationwide, including strong demand from state services in California, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Finally, she said customer on-time performance went up 4.7 percentage points in 2025 compared to 2024, underscoring improvements in reliability and service delivery – especially among Class I freight railroad partners, such as Norfolk Southern, which have shown dramatic improvements in moving more Amtrak trains on time.

“For 2026, we are off to a strong start, with passenger rail demand higher than ever,” she said at the meeting. “Our strategic focus now is on running good railroad, building for the future, and delivering results – and so far, so good on that. Our on-time performance was solid across the entire network first part of 2026 and we’ve had the best host railroad performance we ever had in 2025 and for the past quarter as well.”

While Mitchell noted that “the last couple of weeks were very challenging due to snow and cold weather,” she stressed that Amtrak is “getting back on top of our service” with major service expansions still on track for the next 18 months.

“We know we must manage this expansion very carefully while continuing to focus on our customer needs,” she emphasized. “We are poised to play a big [transportation] role in the World Cup soccer tournament this summer as we serve 13 out of the 16 host cities. We want to provide everyone with a really good rail riding experience during the games.”