On Saturday just before 6:30pm, Amtrak delivered a new ‘Airo’ class trainset with five coaches and a power car to Seattle’s King Street Station for eventual deployment on Amtrak Cascades by this fall. The new vehicles were coupled onto the Empire Builder service and trucked over from Chicago.
Trainspotters followed the train on live-tracking maps and took photos and film of the new vehicles as they passed through many corners of the state, including Wenatchee, Snohomish County and Seattle. The real-time information was helpful as the Airo-laden Empire Builder run was heavily delayed by freight traffic in North Dakota and Montana, arriving about seven hours later than its original 11:30am scheduled arrival.
As the first set of six new railcar sets, the new Airos will eventually make their way into service later this fall. Amtrak is waiting on additional trainsets to arrive and completion of staff training and route testing along the Cascades route – a 460-mile-long corridor that stretches from Vancouver, British Columbia to Eugene, Oregon.
Prior to their arrival in Seattle, the Airo railcars underwent initial testing at the federal Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colorado and then on the Amtrak-owned Northeast Corridor for active track testing.
Shout out to Chase & the @amtrakcascades.wsdot.wa.gov team for getting these new Airo trains to the PNW! Can’t wait to ride!
— Kirk Hovenkotter (@kirkhovenkotter.com) May 16, 2026 at 10:07 PM
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The Airos have been long-awaited as part of a multi-year, nationwide procurement process for 83 trainsets from Siemens Mobility that was finalized in July 2021 under the Biden administration. Cascades was tabbed as the first service to receive new trainsets under the contract, in large part due to the need for replacement vehicles following the decommissioning of Talgo 6 trainsets. Cascades has since been leasing older railcars to supplement its fleet needs.
Under the original procurement order, revenue service for the Airos was expected to start in 2025 or 2026, meaning Amtrak could meet the tail-end of the window if it stays on course.
They’re here — and they’re awesome, the new @amtrakcascades.wsdot.wa.gov Airos!!
— Robert Cruickshank (@robertcruickshank.com) May 16, 2026 at 6:06 PM
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In December 2022, riders got a first glimpse at what a Cascades-branded Airo trainset might look like, both inside and out. The mocha, cream, and evergreen livery with gold and teal accents emblazoned on a modern, sleek train in the Pacific Northwest countryside turned out to be quite similar to the trainset that arrived Saturday. Likewise, the interior features of the rail cars deliver on promised amenities like modern ergonomic seats, USB-C ports and individual power outlets, more table seating, and seatback tablet holders.
In addition, passengers can expect the Airos to feature other enhancements and amenities, such as:
- Bathrooms with touchless controls for better sanitation;
- Seating with large tray tables, water bottle holders, and cushioned headrests;
- Coaches with free WiFi and enhanced lighting systems;
- Sleeker cafe cars that offer a Northwest-style food and beverage menu; and
- Capacity for bike storage in every coach and the baggage car.
The new Airo trainsets will provide a big boost in seated capacity on Cascades with 317 seats across eight coaches. That’s a marked improvement from the 160 seats available on Amfleet I and 232 seats available on Talgo 8 trainsets.
Seating on Airo trainsets will be configured in two classes: Business and Coach. Business class seating will have a single aisle flanked by a one-seat row and a two-seat row whereas Coach class will feature two-seat rows on either side of a single aisle.
While the new Airos are rated for top speeds of 125 miles per hour, tracks along the Cascades corridor remain restricted to top speeds of 79 miles per hour for now. Additional improvements to tracks are required to realize faster speeds, which are federally regulated. But if Washington’s goals for Cascades service growth and enhancements are achieved, higher speeds could be unlocked in the future.
When service starts in the late fall, Amtrak plans to launch Airo service on Cascades with two in-service trainsets; a third set will be on hand as a backup spare. Airo trainsets are expected to rotate throughout the corridor. Amfleet I and Talgo 8 trainsets will remain in service on Cascades to supplement service needs until all Airos are delivered and fully replace the fleet.
To support the new Airo fleet and additional service in the Pacific Northwest, Amtrak is progressing with construction of an expanded and modernized trainyard in SoDo, set to open next year. Centered on an 11-acre parcel of land south of S Holgate Street, the railyard already includes train storage and maintenance facilities, but the new Amtrak project will deliver an additional maintenance facility specifically designed for Airo trainsets.
Airo trainsets do not decouple and thus need more space for maneuverability, which the larger trainyard will provide. When completed, the $300 million project will deliver two maintenance bays, one service and cleaning bay, a new parking deck, and plenty of space to continue to add Airos to the fleet to boost service in the future.
Ryan Packer
Doug Trumm
