USA: The state-owned passenger operator announced in February that it would begin procuring a standardised single-deck long-distance fleet. The RFP has now been issued formally, with a supplier to be selected by the end of 2027.
Amtrak says the order is the largest in its history. The new rolling stock will replace Superliner I and II bi-level cars, built between 1975 and 1996, on 14 routes. Amtrak published the announcement alongside a video showing several visualisation of possible interiors for the new coaches.
Siemens Mobility is currently Amtrak’s main supplier of passenger coaches and locomotives. Total orders for the single-deck Venture coach have already passed 700 units, with assembly at Siemens’ Sacramento plant and at its new facility in Lexington, North Carolina. In early 2026, start-up AmeriStarRail put forward a rival bi-level concept for the Amtrak fleet renewal. The operator has not commented on it.
Funding remains the open question. In April, US President Donald Trump proposed deep cuts to federal rail support in the FY2027 budget, Amtrak included. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the five-year federal infrastructure and jobs programme adopted in 2021 under his predecessor Joe Biden and which allocated $66 bln to passenger and freight rail, is also reaching the end of its term.
