Amtrak hits refresh button on Northeast train interiors
WASHINGTON – Amtrak officials say renovations to Northeast Regional trains will delight several senses of their customers.
Fresh carpeting and seat cushions have a new-car smell. LED lighting is brighter than its incandescent and fluorescent predecessors. And simulated-leather seats feel like airline seats compared to the previous blue fabric.
The $16 million in renovations are being phased in among the 450 railroad cars on the Northeast Corridor and on connecting routes such as the Empire and Keystone services, the Downeaster and the Vermonter. Midwest routes that will also see the improvements are Hiawatha, Missouri River Runner and the Illinois and Michigan services.
“This is what some lucky people who take the Northeast Regional home for Thanksgiving are going to be experienc- ing,” Mark Yachmetz, Amtrak’s vice president for Northeast Corridor business development, said during a tour Monday. “Hopefully (customers) will notice the new-car smell, and the leather cushions, the leather seats, the new carpet — the cleanliness has just been updated significantly.”
The enhancements are being phased in as materials become available and can be installed between shifts, to avoid reducing capacity. All the improvements are scheduled to be finished by early May. About 16.8 million people a year ride all the cars that are being updated, according to Amtrak.
The updates coincide with the arrival of CEO Richard Anderson, who took over in July after leading Delta Air Lines from 2007 through 2016. While his No. 1 priority is safety, Anderson also is bringing airline sensibilities to improving customer service with different furnishings and more frequent updates to train cars that date to the 1970s.