by Jim Mathews Late Friday, Amtrak let the world know that it's ready to get industry to bid on supplying "up to 75 trainsets" worth of equipment to replace elderly Amfleet Is. It's great to see Amtrak step up to the plate and start making good on long-overdue promises to get cracking on upgrading coaches for the modern passenger. Sure, it's a baby step...but it's the second step in as many months (following on the heels of the locomotive order) and it can't come soon enough. Just before Amtrak announced the diesel locomotive order, your Board member Dave Randall noted the scale of the challenge Amtrak faces in replacing its tired fleet. "In 2012, Amtrak developed a comprehensive Fleet Strategy which provided a plan for initial replacement and continuing replacement to keep average fleet age constant. To date, only a few of the programs identified in the plan have been undertaken: 70 ACS64, 130 Midwest & California Single Level cars, and 28 Avelia sets," he said. Apart from the new diesels -- Continue reading...
