Amtrak Airo trains entered passenger service on the Amtrak Cascades route on 30 September 2026, two years after the 2024 date Siemens Mobility set in 2021 for first deliveries.

Amtrak Cascades Airo trainset at a station platform
An Amtrak Cascades Airo trainset stands at a station platform. Photo: Amtrak

Two trainsets now cover four daily trips on the route linking Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, Portland and Eugene. Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Siemens Mobility all describe it as the first Airo passenger service in the United States. Each set has more than 300 seats.

The four Cascades trips now running Airo sets

Train 503 runs from Seattle to Eugene and Train 508 makes the return trip. Train 516 links Seattle with Vancouver, B.C., and Train 519 comes back. Amtrak marks these departures with a “New Train” tag on Amtrak.com and in its app. The other six Cascades trainsets are due to enter service through early 2027, and the Airo fleet will eventually replace the equipment now on the route. Amtrak’s Cascades order also covers two new locomotives and a spare cab car.

Amtrak Cascades trips run with Airo trainsets from 30 September 2026
Train From To Departs Arrives
503 Seattle Eugene 7:10 a.m. 1:48 p.m.
508 Eugene Seattle 4:30 p.m. 10:50 p.m.
516 Seattle Vancouver, B.C. 8:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m.
519 Vancouver, B.C. Seattle 4:45 p.m. 9:10 p.m.

The two Airo trainsets cover one daily Seattle–Eugene round trip and one daily Seattle–Vancouver, B.C. round trip. Times are local, as published by Amtrak for the launch. Source: Amtrak, September 2026.

The corridor lost seats in late March 2025, when Amtrak grounded its Horizon cars. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) says the Amfleet cars brought in as replacements reduced seating capacity by 20% for the rest of the year. Ridership fell 8% to 916,000 in 2025.

Side view of an Amtrak Cascades Airo trainset at a platform
An Amtrak Cascades Airo trainset is seen along a station platform. Photo: Amtrak

From the 2021 order to the first passengers

When Siemens Mobility announced its Amtrak contracts in July 2021, it said the first trains would be delivered in 2024. Deliveries for the Northeast Corridor and state-supported routes were to run from 2024 through 2030. None of the statements issued on 30 September explains the gap between that delivery date and the 2026 start of passenger service. In February 2026 Amtrak said all eight Cascades sets were expected to finish manufacturing during the year.

The national programme has also grown. The 2021 announcement covered 73 trains, while Siemens now puts the Airo programme at 83 trainsets, comprising 86 Charger locomotives and 576 passenger coaches. The trains are built at Siemens Mobility plants in Sacramento, California, and Lexington, North Carolina.

Amtrak Airo rollout: dates set in 2021 and the position on 30 September 2026
Milestone Date Status
First Airo deliveries 2024 Date given by Siemens Mobility in July 2021
Northeast Corridor and state-supported route deliveries 2024 to 2030 Schedule given by Siemens Mobility in July 2021
Manufacturing of all eight Amtrak Cascades sets 2026 Amtrak expectation, February 2026
Passenger service on Amtrak Cascades, two sets 30 September 2026 Started
Remaining six Amtrak Cascades sets Through early 2027 Planned
King Street Yard maintenance facility, Seattle 2027 Planned completion, Amtrak, May 2025
Northeast Regional service Late 2027 Planned, first set in testing
Northeast Regional and other state-supported routes Through 2030 Planned, Siemens Mobility, September 2026

Passenger service on Amtrak Cascades began two years after the 2024 delivery date set in 2021, while the 2030 end point is unchanged. Delivery dates and service dates are separate milestones. Sources: Siemens Mobility, July 2021, Amtrak, February 2026, Amtrak, May 2025, Amtrak, September 2026, Siemens Mobility, September 2026.

Seattle maintenance base for the Airo sets

Amtrak is also building a maintenance base for the new trains at its King Street Yard in Seattle. In May 2025 the company said the upgraded yard, with a two-bay maintenance and inspection building and a separate service and cleaning bay, would be completed in 2027. Amtrak runs each Airo as a single trainset rather than as separate railcars. It said the new facilities would give it a consistent maintenance system with shorter turnaround times for repairs and inspections. At that point, six Amtrak yards were in line for similar work: construction was under way in Seattle and Philadelphia, with the other four yards at the contract, procurement or planning stage.

Northeast Regional is next, in late 2027

The first Airo trainset for the Northeast Regional has completed production and started testing, and Amtrak plans to launch service there in late 2027. In February, Amtrak gave 2027 as the expected start. Siemens says further trainsets will reach the Northeast Regional and other state-supported routes through 2030. Those trains will carry Amtrak’s national red, white and blue livery, while the Cascades sets wear the route’s evergreen, cream and mocha colours.

FRA says the fleet is supported by $3.5 billion of its investments. FRA Administrator David Fink, who previewed the trains with Amtrak on the weekend before the launch, set out what the agency expects from them:

“…this new fleet will substantially reduce maintenance downtime and eliminate delays for passengers.”