QuickTake:

The modern new trains will be phased in to serve the Amtrak Cascades route, which runs from Eugene to Vancouver, B.C., starting Wednesday.

The new trains on the Amtrak Cascades route, that run from Eugene north all the way to Canada, will change the rail travel experience.

Some things, of course, will stay the same: Train whistles, the steady thudding of wheels on track and a locomotive. But this won’t be your grandmother’s train. Passengers will have Wi-Fi, more leg room and more gadgets to charge and hold your cellphone, laptop and other gear. 

A new Amtrak Airo train made a stop in Eugene for a tour and display Saturday, Sept. 26. The train is part of a fleet that will serve the Pacific Northwest, starting Wednesday, Sept. 30, on the Amtrak Cascades route.

Eventually eight Airo trainsets will serve the route, gradually replacing the current aging fleet. The new trains are part of the Airo Fleet, a batch of 83 new trains that Amtrak is rolling out starting this year on routes nationwide, also including the Northeast and East Coast. 

From Eugene, the Amtrak Cascades makes stops in Albany, Salem, Oregon City and Portland before heading into Washington state and all the way to Vancouver, British Columbia. A southbound route makes the same stops. 

The Northwest route itself is not new: The state has been contracting with Amtrak to provide the service since 1994, said Bob Melbo, state rail planner for the Oregon Department of Transportation. Under federal law, states help Amtrak cover the costs of routes under 750 miles.

“This is the first time that we’ve ever had what’s going to be a whole new fleet of equipment that will be providing this service for the people not only of Oregon but also for Washington,” Melbo said.

The trains will allow more people to ride the route. The new train can seat 317 people, nearly double the capacity of the current trains, which seat 166, Melbo said. 

The existing Amtrak Cascade trains are between 40 and 50 years old and the new trains represent a step into the 21st century, said Celia Ann Pfleckl, Amtrak’s assistant vice president for the Airo program.

“It is a beautiful, brand new train — light, bright, modernized with wonderful features,” Pfleckl said. 

This moment was years in the making. 

Planning, designing and producing the trains, built in the United States, is a process that started in 2018, said Derek Maier, senior director of the Airo program. 

On a tour, Maier pointed out the features. A cafe with self-serve food items available for purchase alongside hot foot items that can be ordered. Seats are designed with comfort and technology in mind. 

For example, passengers can use a larger tray for a laptop or food. Or they can use a small tray to put their cell phone on. 

Electrical outlets are available next to each seat, along with charging ports for cellphones. 

The restroom offers modern conveniences that keep your hands free of contact with surfaces. A swipe of the hand can flush the toilet, along with motion-detected faucets.

State Rep. Nancy Nathanson, a Eugene Democrat, praised the trains after seeing them.

“It’s an upgrade in comfort and capacity,” Nathanson said. “Traveling by train in a congested corridor like the Willamette Valley is really a nice experience because you can avoid the traffic delays. You can relax. You can take a nap. You can work.”

The next deployment of Airo trains will take place in the Northeast. 

A man shows a train cafe car
Derek Maier, senior director of Amtrak’s Airo program, shows the cafe of a new train that will serve the Amtrak Cascades route from Eugene to Canada. Officials offered a tour of the train Saturday, Sept. 26. in Eugene. Credit: Ben Botkin / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.