Amtrak maintenance facilities upgrades face OIG warning

Amtrak maintenance facilities upgrades are running into planning and management issues that could affect how fully the railroad can bring its newest trains into service, according to an Amtrak Office of Inspector General (OIG) report.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The watchdog says Amtrak’s $4 billion program to modernize maintenance sites is meant to support new equipment, including NextGen Acela, the Airo fleet, and the operator’s planned long-distance trains. However, as Progressive Railroading notes, the report warns that some facilities are not expected to be ready in time to service the incoming trains.

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Maintenance capacity for NextGen Acela and Airo

On the schedule described in the OIG report, Amtrak can operate only the first 24 of 28 NextGen Acela trainsets and the first 12 of 83 Airo trainsets without additional capacity to maintain the new trains. If Amtrak cannot identify other ways or locations to maintain the new equipment, some trainsets could sit idle intermittently—an issue also outlined by Railway Supply.

Amtrak officials told the OIG that this kind of downtime would delay the railroad from capturing the additional revenue it anticipates from deploying new trainsets.

OIG recommendations on Amtrak fleet and facilities

To keep fleet rollout and facility readiness aligned, the OIG recommended that Amtrak continue developing a joint strategic fleet/facilities plan that sets goals, timelines, and next steps. It also urged Amtrak to establish a management framework for its facility upgrades, including a risk management process.

Next steps for facility upgrade planning

The OIG framed these steps as a way to keep the maintenance program and new fleet goals moving together, so that new trainsets are not held back by limitations in maintenance capacity.

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