Western Pa. to get new, upgraded Amtrak Airo trains

Amtrak is upgrading a select portion of its fleet and Western Pennsylvania passengers will benefit.

The Pennsylvanian line — which runs from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg and connects to Philadelphia and New York — will be getting new Amtrak Airo trains. These new, modern trains are coming to 14 Amtrak routes and will begin debuting in 2026.

Both Amtrak lines in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvanian line and the Keystone Service, are set to get Airo trains. In the Western part of the state, the Pennsylvanian line has stations in Downtown Pittsburgh, Greensburg, Latrobe, Johnstown and Altoona.

Nearly $4.3 billion in annual funding from the Federal Railroad administration is fueling the upgrades. The Airo trains will be manufactured by Siemens in California.

“As we invest in the future, Amtrak is leading the way with a new era of rail,” Amtrak President Roger Harris said in a news release. “Our new trains will transform the Amtrak experience with significant environmental benefits, a progressive design and world-class amenities.”

Airo trains will include new cabin interiors with panoramic windows, larger tray tables, and chairs with movable headrests and a dedicated cup and seat back tablet-holder. There also will be dedicated individual outlets, USB ports and onboard Wi-Fi. Airo’s cafe cars also will have more contemporary food choices and self-service options.

The new trains are also more fuel efficient and cleaner than past models. They can reach speeds of up to 125 mph and will have both electric and diesel power sources, which should eliminate the need for the Pennsylvanian to change engines in Philadelphia, according to the advocacy group Western Pennsylvanians for Passenger Rail.

Avoiding an engine change and Airo’s higher speeds should help lower travel times between Pittsburgh and New York City. The trip currently takes 9 hours and 20 minutes.

Upgraded trains and engines aren’t the only positive passenger rail news for Western Pennsylvania. PennDOT and Norfolk Southern reached an agreement in June that will have Norfolk Southern upgrade tracks to make way for another daily roundtrip between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.

Norfolk Southern is upgrading several choke points along that route with the goal of starting additional passenger rail service by the end of 2025.

Andy Batson, PennDOT’s acting deputy Secretary for multimodal transportation, said the agency supports intercity passenger rail and is optimistic about Amtrak’s improvements in the state. Thanks to money from the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law, PennDOT is providing $200 million to Norfolk Southern to upgrade the tracks between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.

“We look forward to continuing our partnership with Amtrak to provide high-quality transportation in Pennsylvania,” Batson said in a release.