Amtrak has put its first Airo trainsets into passenger service on the Amtrak Cascades route, beginning operations between Vancouver, British Columbia, Seattle, Portland and Eugene. The initial rollout uses two trainsets on four daily trips, making Cascades the first U.S. revenue service for the new Airo platform.
The deployment gives Amtrak a visible start to the wider modernisation of its Pacific Northwest corridor fleet. The Cascades service is scheduled to receive eight Airo trainsets in total, along with two locomotives and a spare cab car, with additional sets due to enter service through early 2027. The new equipment is intended to replace the existing fleet gradually while keeping the route running with mixed train types during the transition.
Each Airo set has more than 300 seats and updated passenger features designed to improve comfort and accessibility. The route is one of Amtrak’s most important intercity links in the Pacific Northwest, connecting major markets across the Seattle–Portland axis and extending north to Vancouver, British Columbia. The launch also gives Amtrak a first operational test of the platform before the remaining trainsets are introduced over the coming months.