By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
Coach passengers, who make up the majority of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor ridership, are being left behind as the railroad launched its new Acela service. AmeriStarRail, a Delaware-based company, says that exclusion not only discriminates against everyday riders but also risks safety by keeping millions on aging equipment that has been in service for half a century. Nowhere else will those travelers feel it more than in the District, where Union Station ranks as Amtrak’s second-busiest hub, serving 5.6 million riders a year. About 70,000 people pass through daily, many of them traveling in Coach — the very passengers AmeriStarRail says would benefit most if Amtrak’s new high-speed trains were open to all classes. AmeriStarRail is calling the exclusion discriminatory and unsafe for millions who rely on aging cars built in the 1970s. The company has unveiled a plan to team with Amtrak and operate the incoming fleet of 28 Alstom Avelia Liberty trainsets as the Libertyliner 250. The name reflects both America’s 250th birthday in 2026 and the first U.S. passenger trains to exceed 250 kilometers per hour, with top speeds of 160 miles per hour.
Millions Left Behind
More than three-quarters of Amtrak’s 14 million Northeast Corridor passengers cannot afford Acela fares and remain confined to Amfleet coaches, some of which turn 50 years old this year. AmeriStarRail said operating those half-century-old cars at 125 mph is without precedent in North America and “poses unknown safety issues.” “Discussion of the safety advantages of implementing our proposal to replace the Amfleet cars on the Northeast Corridor with the inauguration of the Libertyliner 250 trainsets is imperative for improving the safety of Amtrak passengers and should be given the highest priority,” AmeriStarRail Chief Operating Officer Scott Spencer stated in a letter to Amtrak President Roger Harris. Unlike Europe and Asia, where high-speed networks serve all passengers, Acela remains the only such service in the world to exclude Coach riders. AmeriStarRail insists this practice worsens inequities and wastes federal infrastructure investment.
Triple-Class Service
The Libertyliner 250 trains would feature Coach, Business, and First-Class seating, opening high-speed travel to seniors, families, students, people with disabilities, and low-income passengers. Each train would accommodate 255 in Coach, 88 in Business, and 43 in First Class.
The proposed schedule calls for:
– Hourly nonstop New York–Washington runs in 1 hour, 59 minutes
– Hourly Boston–New York–Washington express service
– Hourly New York–Washington limited
– Departures every 30 minutes between New York and Washington
The plan would expand capacity by more than 50 percent on the New York–Washington route and 11 percent between Boston and New York.
Private Sector Partnership
AmeriStarRail says it is prepared to privately finance, operate, and maintain the Libertyliner fleet, which would still carry Amtrak branding and union crews. Amtrak would continue to own and maintain the tracks and stations. The arrangement would generate “hundreds of millions of dollars annually in user fees and monthly performance incentives” for Amtrak. The company argues the partnership could begin this year, replacing outdated cars, improving safety, and reducing congestion on I-95 and at the region’s overcrowded airports. “Triple-Class service on the Libertyliners will give senior citizens, families, students, persons with disabilities, and low-income coach passengers the freedom to travel on America’s high-speed trains for the first time with affordable Coach seating,” AmeriStarRail stated.
AmeriStarRail has requested to present its proposal to Amtrak’s Board, pressing for immediate consideration as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary.
