Siemens to manufacture 83 Airo Intercity Trainsets for Amtrak: Design, Delivery, Acceptance

STrRedWolf wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 12:56 pm photo_2023-10-12_14-54-20.jpg

First Airo coach finished up! (photo from a fellow railfan)

These look nice.

Have to wonder dark paint job how much more heat loss in winter temps and how much more cooling in hot temps especially sun shining on cars.

Officer/Captain West Point, think how much ad revenue Amtrak will pull in when they shrink wrap them.

A good number of the OBB RailJet sets are shrink wrapped, so are a Brightline set or two.
Smooth sided cars make for much better billboards.

west point wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 2:33 pm Have to wonder dark paint job how much more heat loss in winter temps and how much more cooling in hot temps especially sun shining on cars.

Wouldn't dark paint absorb the sun's heat in winter as well as summer? Mightn't it be a tradeoff? But, as Mr. Norman suggests, choosing a paint scheme may be a waste of time anyway.

US scare airline found out it could not cool its aircraft sufficiently at the gate in sunlight with its very dark paint job.

Perhaps that's because Wolf, Gangrene, and Seigel wouldn't allow APU's to be left running, and didn't invest in PCA units....

If HEP or shore power are available, I don't see where this should be a major issue. Certainly no worse than un-tinted windows were.

Amtrak Media: https://media.amtrak.com/2023/10/amtrak ... e-economy/

SACRAMENTO – The production of new Amtrak Airo trains is boosting businesses nationwide as manufacturing ramps up. The creation of new, sustainable, engineering and manufacturing jobs will benefit communities across the country with over 3,500 parts manufactured by nearly 100 suppliers in 31 states.
“As we build to support the soaring demand for train travel, Amtrak Airo is creating jobs even before the trains are on the tracks,” said Amtrak President Roger Harris. “The new trains will not only provide world-class accommodations on routes throughout the country but will stimulate local economies as we revolutionize the Amtrak experience.”
The new trains will elevate the journey with spacious interiors, panoramic windows, plenty of legroom, double and single seats, dedicated outlets, USB ports and onboard Wi-Fi. The trains will also offer greater accessibility with onboard passenger lifts, increased accessible spaces, and enhanced audible and visual messaging that will improve the experience for all customers. The new trains can operate at speeds of up to 125 mph, are more sustainable and offer a seamless transition where time-consuming locomotive changes were previously required.


Amtrak selected Siemens Mobility Inc. in 2021 to manufacture new, state-of-the-art trains that comply with the Federal Railroad Administration Buy America Standards. The official name was announced alongside design details in 2022. In Summer 2023, Amtrak executed a contract option for 10 additional trains, bringing the total order to 83. Production has started on the new trains at Siemens Mobility’s Sacramento, Calif. facility, one of the largest and most sustainable of its kind, featuring solar panels that provide the majority of its power.
“Amtrak is an integral part of the fabric of our nation and Amtrak Airo will represent a new level of passenger experience for travelers throughout America. On behalf of our 4,500 team members across North America, we’re proud to be working with Amtrak to design, build, and deliver the future of American rail,” stated Michael Cahill, President of Rolling Stock for Siemens Mobility North America.
The first Amtrak Airo train is scheduled to debut in 2026. Customers will experience new Amtrak Airo trains on the Northeast Regional, Empire Service, Amtrak Virginia Services, Keystone Service, Amtrak Downeaster, Amtrak Cascades, Maple Leaf, New Haven-Springfield-Greenfield Service, Palmetto, Carolinian, Pennsylvanian, Vermonter, Ethan Allen Express and Adirondack.
A share of Amtrak’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding will support the procurement of Amtrak Airo, which is part of a larger transformation that will revolutionize the Amtrak experience.
For more information about Amtrak Airo please visit Amtrak.com/amtrak-airo, check out the latest images, video, and meet the new trains.

It would be most ironic if the Airo is certified before the Avelio.....

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OK; so they threw together a Coach, yeah rah-rah team!!

Essentially, they just built a Venture, which even without a Cafe, is in revenue service on routes out of Chicago (West Coast, maybe FAIK).

For the Ventures (is that what they're known as out West?), they had much experience to draw upon from the OBB and CD Rail Jets as well as the DB Euro City equipment (I've never ridden; was set to Munich to Salzburg, but my connecting ICE from Nuremberg this past August was late - and no such as a thing over there as hold for connection).

Of course, none of the complicated stuff like a Control Car (plenty of those on RJ to copy cat) has yet to be built; and the ESOTERIC stuff like the battery powered engines, are we in uncharted waters.

I don't expect to see Airo in revenue service unless someone provides me with a six foot periscope .

I wonder if the first finished Airo Intercity trainset is a standard for the WSDOT or an ALC42e+APV version for NEC

So, why design a new trainset when Ventures are already running on VIA, Brightline, and some regional Amtrak routes? I don't get it.

Why can't Amtrak ever go with already proven equipment? Why does it always have to reinvent the wheel?

charlesriverbranch wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 6:00 am So, why design a new trainset when Ventures are already running on VIA, Brightline, and some regional Amtrak routes? I don't get it.

Why can't Amtrak ever go with already proven equipment? Why does it always have to reinvent the wheel?

I mean the Airo is fully based on the Venture and the coaches will be essentially one in the same. The only significant differences are the couplers (though the Midwest already uses some married pairs), the cab car (which we should also see some standard Venture versions soon and won't be all that different from VIA's), and the power units which I'm sure are way into development at this point. I imagine the ALC-42E isn't all that different than what exists now.

The Cascades sets will more or less be Ventures branded as Airos since they aren't going to have power units.

If I remember correctly, that read that the Cascades sets ordered are payed by WSDOT and not Amtrak?

But i can't find it anymore.