New Amtrak Cascades trains – Coming soon!

A new modern fleet of Northwest-styled Amtrak Cascades trains will transport you in style between Seattle, Vancouver, BC, Portland, and other cities along the I-5 corridor. Eight new trainsets, two new locomotives, and a spare cab car are on order for the Pacific Northwest.

What is the status of manufacturing? As of February 2026, two new trainsets and one locomotive have left the factory.

The evergreen, mocha and cream-colored nose of the new Amtrak Cascades Trainset #1 looms large under a dreamy blue sky on the tracks with some tall grasses on either side of the photo. The windshield is accented with the gold nugget color and the Amtrak Cascades logo adorns the evergreen-colored space between the headlights.

How will the trains look? Each trainset features the signature Amtrak Cascades evergreen, cream, and mocha color scheme a modern design which includes two Cascade Range mountain graphics on each car. Tip: there are more photos lower on this page.

When can I ride the new trains? That’s a great question! The majority of the new Amtrak Cascades trainsets still have to complete manufacturing. Then, successful outcomes of extensive testing must be completed. Details on testing are below. When we have a date that service will start, we will post that here and on social media. Please note, some new Amtrak Cascades trains will start service prior to the entire new fleet arriving here.

What is the testing process? A rigorous review of performance in simulated and real-world environments will occur before the trains serve customers. This testing process aligns with industry-standard practices for new passenger trains. 

Where testing began: The initial tests were performed at the manufacturing facility.

At the world-class national test facility in Pueblo, testing focused on brake performance, noise and vibrations at various speeds, emergency equipment, safety systems, and more. Amtrak Cascades new trainset #1 passed all tests with flying colors at the Federal Railroad Administration Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colorado, completing

Why are PNW trains on the east coast for testing? By using track Amtrak owns and manages, the testing schedule can be maintained. This means we get our trains sooner! Performing this work on tracks owned by a host railroad, such as where the Amtrak Cascades normally run, could cause extensive delays since host railroads are busy 24/7 and do not have the considerable empty capacity on their tracks required to conduct testing.

What does testing on the Northeast Corridor entail: Each trainset will undergo extensive testing on the Northeast Corridor. Trainset #1 and Trainset #2 are there now. Testing on the Northeast Corridor includes:

  • Additional static testing in a rail yard (for example, while the rain is sitting still)
  • Dynamic testing on an active railroad (for example, while the train is in motion)
  • The goal of this phase is to confirm successful operation of the train and its supporting systems while traveling up to the maximum possible speed
  • It also will include training and education for Amtrak staff, since these new trains are much more technologically advanced than the passenger cars they’re replacing

Testing in the Pacific Northwest will include each trainset arriving here or final testing, training (onboard and mechanical staff), and simulated service before welcome customers on board. Some of the testing here will include runs on the corridor to ensure all of the safety systems on the train can communicate with all of the trackside safety equipment and software.

New Amtrak Cascades trains unveiled at an event in Washington, DC, on February 10, 2026: Designed with customers at the center, the new trains are built to deliver greater comfort, improved reliability, and modern connectivity. These new trains will modernize train travel and expand capacity while delivering a consistent, high-quality experience. Super-pretty trains with panoramic windows to view spectacular PNW scenery, 300 seats per train including wheelchair spots, a new Cafe Car, comfy seats with moveable headrests, individual outlets, USB ports, free onboard Wi-Fi, enhanced lighting, digital customer information displays, automated steps, and touchless restroom controls in six large restrooms, all complement a wonderful travel experience.

Welcome aboard to the Business Car:

Welcome to the Cafe!

Welcome to the Coach Car:

There will be six big restrooms with touchless controls on each train:

Earlier posts and photos:

Trainset #1 makes tracks to the east coast: Our first pretty new train spent the night in Chicago and got cleaned up in the wash rack. Here are some photos of the new trainset #1 on its way to Philly.

Photo of the New Amtrak Cascades Trainset #1 being pulled to Philly for the next round of testing. In this image, the train is almost to Philly. This is the Rockville Bridge in Harrisburg, PA, as captured by Carl Zhu. Thank you Carl!

Thank you to Carl Zhu for capturing the new Amtrak Cascades Trainset #1 over the Rockville Bridge in Harrisburg shortly before it reached Philly for it’s next round of testing.

Thank you to Instagram nycrailfan for this photo capture near Overbrook, PA
Photo of the new Amtrak Cascades trainset with the cab car in the lead with sagebrush in the foreground and lovely blue sky with some dashes of small clouds above. Photo courtesy of Siemens.
Photo courtesy of Siemens
The train station signpost at La Junta, Colorado, frames the new Amtrak Cascades Trainset #1 as it passes through La Junta on its way to Chicago and then Philly. You can see two passenger coach doors and some signature Cascades Mountains accenting the evergreen, mocha, and cream Pacific Northwest-inspired color scheme.

The first trainset left the factory on July 22, 2025. Behold the first images of the new Amtrak Cascades trainset in the wild on its way to Pueblo, Colorado for testing. WSDOT thanks railfan Hudson Sheats for the use of these three images in California and Nevada:

New Amtrak Cascades train near Elvas/Sacramento, CA, rounds a bend under a rail bridge steel structure.
A new Amtrak Cascades train on the tracks with green marker lights at the top ends of each train car as the new train makes it way to testing in Colorado. The cab car is clearly visible on the end of the train while the other cars blur into the remaining light.

The photos below were taken the day before they left the factory.

A newly manufactured Amtrak Cascades locomotive waits to leave the factory in California. The frame around the windshield is gold. The nose is evergreen to represent the PNW trees and most of the locomotive is cream, the white color representing the cream in your coffee. The updated Amtrak Cascades logo is large inside the cream portion. Blue sky and thin white clouds create the backdrop.
New Amtrak Cascades locomotive before it leaves factory
A new Amtrak Cascades Business Train Car waits to leave the manufacturing facility for testing. Cascade mountains are featured on both ends of the car. BUSINESS is printed on the top middle portion of the evergreen background. The mocha color frames the plentiful windows and there's a stripe of cream color below the windows. The Business Car sports a gold door which matches the mountains in the Amtrak Cascades logo. The door is open and the steps are down, waiting for you to hop onboard!
Interior photo of a new Amtrak Cascades Business Car showing two seats on one side of the car. The leather seats appear comfy with tall, puffy headrests. Some seats are facing and have tables between them. You can see the edge of a table on the single seating opposite side of the car. The windows are large to view the spectacular Northwest scenery. The floors are carpeted. The end wall has wood paneling with a white Amtrak Cascades logo.
Photo taken inside a new Amtrak Cascades Business Car showing table seating before it leaves the factory for testing.
Close up photo of a cushy headrest on a seat in the Business Car.
Photo of a white logo with the three mountains above the stacked Amtrak Cascades all caps letters on wood paneling.
Photo of a new Amtrak Cascades Coach Car door on the left and a new Amtrak Cascades Business Car gold door on the right.
Coach Car door on the left. Business Car door on the right.
New spacious Amtrak Cascades Cafe Car features windows on both sides. A large service counter sits in the middle. Evergreen and cream colors with gold accents match the Amtrak Cascades logo, a reflection of the Pacific Northwest. White and green shadow lighting create lovely hues on the ceiling.

The new trains will revolutionize the Amtrak Cascades experience. Made in the USA, the new Amtrak Cascades trains are funded as a part of the Federal Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act. You can also view the renderings which provided a preview of how the train equipment would look.

The new Amtrak Cascades trains will be first trains out of the factory. The new trains will arrive over a period of several months, entering into service once they have been thoroughly inspected, tested and approved.

The new trains will elevate the Amtrak Cascades journey with a focus on comfort and efficiency:

  • Elevated experience: With panoramic windows and additional table seating, customers can enjoy some of the best views and connect to the some of the most scenic landscapes in the world
  • Comfortable seating: Each train seats more than 300 passengers and prioritizes ergonomics, offering large and sturdy tray tables, cushioned headrests, water bottle holders, and a seatback tablet holder
  • Redesigned café car: Featuring local Northwest favorite foods including beer, wine and spirits along with some self-service food options
  • Environmental improvements: The new trains are more fuel efficient and produce significantly less air pollution
  • Amenities: Individual outlets, USB ports, free onboard Wi-Fi, enhanced lighting, digital customer information displays, automated steps, and touchless restroom controls

Photos released May 29, 2025 show progress at the factory on the first trainset:

The front of a new Amtrak Cascades cab car in the factory. The cab car is evergreen with mocha and cream.
The front corner of a new Amtrak Cascades locomotive in the factory. The locomotive iis evergreen, mocha, and cream.
The side front corner of a new Amtrak Cascades Coach Car in the factory. The car is evergreen with mocha and cream. There are large windows and a door.
The rear of a locomotive in the factory. The locomotive is evergreen, mocha, and cream.
Two leather seats in the interior of the new train. The head rest has text printed on it that says "Business." There is a table in front of the two seats. The rest of the seats are still covered in protective plastic.
Two seats in the interior of the train. The head rest has text printed on it that says "Business." There is a table in front of the two seats. The rest of the car is visible in the background with protective plastic still on the rest of the seats.
Seats in the interior of the new train. There is a table between a set of 4 seats, with table extensions to make the table larger for each seat. The rest of the car is visible in the background with protective plastic still on the rest of the seats.
A new comfy headrest that has the word "Business" stitched into the leather. The back of the seat is quilted gray leather.
The back of two new seats, one of them with the tray table folded down for the use of the seat behind it.

Amtrak Cascades serves 18 stations on the I-5 corridor including Seattle and Portland and extends north to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Washington State Department of Transportation sponsors the Amtrak Cascades train service in Washington state and Canada and contracts with Amtrak for service operation.