WASHINGTON — Amtrak could face problems in operating its NextGen Acela and Airo trainsets because some new maintenance facilities will not be completed in time, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General says in a new report issued today (Dec. 22).
According to the report, if current schedules for those facilities hold, Amtrak will only be able to operate the first 24 of its 28 NextGen Acelas, and 12 of its 83 Airo trainsets without additional maintenance capacity. Unless it can find other ways or locations to provide maintenance, equipment may need to be idled intermittently.
The problems developed, the OIG report says, because Amtrak facilities planning lagged about 15 years behind its fleet planning. Also, dozens of facility projects are being managed separately rather than as a single, coordinated effort. The issues reflect the lack of a joint fleet and facilities plan, which Amtrak officials told the OIG it was working to complete by the end of this year. Amtrak also has not developed an overall management framework for the facilities, which could include standard elements such as risk, schedule, and resource management.
Amtrak’s initial plans call for upgrading six Level 1 maintenance and inspection facilities, where it performs inspections and major mechanical work that requires the use of a crane. While NextGen Acelas have begun entering service, and the first Airo trainsets are expected to do so in 2026, only the facilities in Seattle and Philadelphia are expected to be substantially complete in 2027. Facilities are slated to be completed in Boston in 2029, Washington and New York in 2030, and Rensselaer, N.Y., in 2031.
A timeline projects that several times in the first four years of Airo operation, the number of trainsets in service will exceed the servicing capacity for the equipment. If equipment is idled as a result, it could prevent the company from gaining the additional revenue it expects the new trainsets to generate.
Amtrak management, after reviewing a draft version of the report, agreed with its recommendations calling for a joint fleet and facilities plan, and a management framework for the facilities projects. The company says it completed a fleet and facilities plan for fiscal 2026 in November; it will also develop three documents to address more detailed strategies for fleet acquisition, facility development, and funding and financing of fleet and facilities projects. Those are due in June 2026. A management framework for the projects is targeted for completion in March 2026.
The full report is available here.
This story explains President Harris’ response to my question at the New Orleans Amtrak Board of Directors (BOD0) Meeting, eg. “do you plan to retain any of the best Amfleet cars for peak demands and added routes? The answer was a simple “Yes”.
This would be comforting, but not so much when we process that the NextGen ACELA and the regional Airo sets when fully delivered in 2031 (?) actually result in a decrease in seats compared with the present Amtrak fleet. Of course I applaud the decision to keep (although I suspect it will be small) Amfleet reserve. But does so many years of growth not justify the “risk” of buying enough new crs to more than do an order for essentially the caspacity of new seats being retired in the existing combined ACELA and Amfleet carriages? Obscenely high fares are certain in this scenario.
This is profoundly disappointing. After 60+ years they still assume nothing will get better? Disgraceful!
Those of us of a certain age know that:
(1) Amfleet is Budd stainless steel. Excellent.
(2) Horizon is based on a Pullman Standard aluminum design. Adequate but less than excellent.
What we don’t know is the how good the Siemens cars are.
Most of these people on the Amtrak Board are fairly new & probably not familiar with all the mgmt shenanigans & deceptions. Like when the member from Idaho voiced concern over the LD issues they blew her off. The last Board mtg concerning new equipment status no mention made of any new LD orders. The inmates are running the asylum.
Although I can agree about firing management the BOD cannot realistically fire them all as that will put Amtrak into more chaos. IMO what will first be needed is hire competent managers into several positions to work side by side with present positions for maybe 6 months before terminating present person. Finding replacements is not going to be easy.
Now we know why Amtrak has plans to retire Amfleets before necessary as it has not hired for a larger fleet. Anyone who reads this must accept that proper capacity and expansion is off the table for at least a couple years until this problem is fixed. There will be a need to return to quite a bit of outside contract work. But again only when proper supervision that work is available. Are we surprised that the Horizon return of any has quietly been postponed?. Maybe a dribble of a few cars trying to make it look that Amtrak is trying. I don’t believe it is so.
Amtrak needs to be re-invented! When Amtrak was created in 1971, it was never intended to survive beyond a couple of years and its creators never focused on “fixing” the inequities of our broken, national transportation system. Amtrak doesn’t have the institutional knowledge, doesn’t have the corporate innovation and doesn’t have the financial comprehension needed to adequately create, operate, maintain and market its short-haul and long-distance trains! The current long-distance routes lose money because Amtrak is effectively killing them by not having enough cars, to sell more seats/rooms, to the millions of passengers who would ride if more frequency, more capacity and more on-board amenities were available. Radical changes need to be made to bring the operation of passenger trains into the modern-day mainstream of travel options in the U. S. Sadly, Amtrak management has already proven they are only interested in their bonus packages, not running competitive and viable train service nationwide. Writing to Congress, to the Senate and to Transportation Secretary Duffy helps to push the agenda for reform.
No surprises here. Total incompetence that demands a thorough cleaning of top management.
Looks like Amtrak and Siemens are running an incompetent partnership. Or perhaps Siemens will run to the rescue with cost-plus maintenance services which have been scoped. Recall all the maintenace and capital expertise was in-house. I worked in the DeWitt locomotive shop on Penn Central and Conrail. There was very little they could do not on their own before sending it out to Altoona or Collingwood. Same with rolling stock. Sorry bunch!
This is pathetic. It’s the result of a management group that doesn’t know squat about how to run a real railroad! The money they’ve squandered on unearned, outrageous bonuses by way of meat-axe cost-cutting should have been put to work on facilities expansion and upgrading. Instead we have this fiasco. Bring back the Claytors and the Gunns, and fire the fly guys!
Why can’t they also use the maintenance facilities for the existing fleet?
Agreed. Why can’t they idle the old stuff instead?
This should be a fireable offense for both management and the Board of Directors.