Amtrak starts Airo passenger service on Cascades with 2 of 8 trainsets
Amtrak Cascades Airo trains entered passenger service on 30 September, with two of eight trainsets ordered for the route covering four daily runs linking Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, Portland and Eugene.
Amtrak confirmed the start of service on launch day and described it as the first passenger use of Airo trains anywhere in the United States. More sets will be added as they enter service, eventually replacing the current Cascades fleet.
Which Amtrak Cascades trains use Airo
The two trainsets are assigned to four scheduled departures:
- Train 516, Seattle to Vancouver, B.C., 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Train 519, Vancouver, B.C. to Seattle, 4:45 p.m. to 9:10 p.m.
- Train 503, Seattle to Eugene, 7:10 a.m. to 1:48 p.m.
- Train 508, Eugene to Seattle, 4:30 p.m. to 10:50 p.m.
These departures carry a “New Train” tag when booked on Amtrak.com or in the Amtrak app. The Oregon Department of Transportation notes on its launch page that train assignments may change for operational reasons.
| Section | Daily round trips | Round trips with Airo | Airo trains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle–Vancouver, B.C. | 2 | 1 | 516, 519 |
| Seattle–Portland | 6 | 1 | 503, 508 |
| Portland–Eugene | 2 | 1 | 503, 508 |
Airo sets cover one of the two daily round trips north of Seattle and one of the two south of Portland, but only one of six between Seattle and Portland. Trains 503 and 508 run through from Seattle to Eugene, so they are counted on each section they serve. Round-trip counts: Washington State Department of Transportation and Oregon Department of Transportation. Train assignments: Amtrak. Airo round-trip counts are a Railway Supply calculation.
Each Airo set has more than 300 seats. Passengers get panoramic windows, ergonomic seats with adjustable headrests, free Wi-Fi, individual power sockets and USB-C ports, automated steps and six restrooms with touchless controls. The exterior uses the route’s evergreen, cream and mocha colours, with design cues taken from the Cascade Range.
Six more Cascades trainsets to follow by early 2027
The Cascades order covers eight Airo trainsets, a spare cab car and two new locomotives. With two sets now carrying passengers, six remain to enter service, and Amtrak expects the additional sets to join through early 2027. Existing Cascades equipment stays on the other departures until the replacement is complete.
Cascades seating since the 2025 Horizon withdrawal
The new sets arrive on a route that has been short of seats. Amtrak removed its Horizon cars from service on 26 March 2025 after inspections found corrosion, and Cascades was among the routes affected.
On the Oregon section between Portland and Eugene, trains in the fourth quarter of 2025 ran with 28% fewer seats than a year earlier because of equipment shortages, the Oregon Department of Transportation reported. Ridership on that section was 13% lower than in the fourth quarter of 2024.
The two Talgo Series 8 sets owned by Oregon seat about 250 passengers each, against more than 300 on each Airo set. Railway Supply examined the 2025 capacity cut in more detail in September.
Northeast Regional is next in the Airo rollout
Cascades is the launch route for Amtrak’s national programme of 83 Airo trainsets. The next planned deployment is the Northeast Regional. Its first trainset has finished production and started testing, with passenger service on that route planned for late 2027. Airo sets on other routes will be painted in Amtrak’s red, white and blue national colours.
Amtrak contracted Siemens Mobility in July 2021 to build up to 83 multi-powered trains for Northeast Regional and state-supported routes. The $7.3 billion investment also covers a long-term parts and service agreement and facility upgrades. Siemens Mobility builds the trains in the United States with components from nearly 100 suppliers in 31 states, Amtrak said.
