Lets face it when you typically think of Amtrak, late trains and outdated passanger carriages probably come to mind. Amtrak is in the midst of overhauling their Acela high speed trains along with their aging Amfleet single level railcars. User Paniolo Man on the AmtrakTrains.com forum site was able to find Amtrak’s RFP for new single level long distance coaches.
Modernizing The Amtrak Fleet
For the future single level long distance fleet, Amtrak is dividing the railcars up into three distinct categories. There will be a high density version with 77 seats at approximately 37″ of pitch in a 2 by 2 configuration. They will operate on Amtrak’s busy Northeast Corridor and state supported routes within the Corridor such as the Keystone Service. The Standard coach will feature 62 coach seats at 42″ of pitch with generous recline (based off the renderings) in a 2 by 2 configuration. The Last category will include a revamped Cafe Car. No timeline has been given and although we can see the renderings in the RFP, the design may be changed. Honestly the new design adds a nice pop of color and greatly enhances the look of Amtrak’s current and rather dull looking Amfleet.