CHICAGO — Amtrak has begun a two-year project to refurbish interiors of its Superliner fleet, showing off the first car to be completed at an event earlier this week at Chicago Union Station. Along with the coach completely refitted with new seats, carpeting, and curtains, the company provided previews of the look for Sightseer Lounge and sleeping cars.
Superliner dining cars will also receive the new look, which carries the color scheme, fabric selections, and design elements across all car types, as will Viewliner I sleeping cars. Overall, the project will cost close to $30 million.
The new seats reflect but do not duplicate those used in the Acela fleet, making use of the same materials. “So we know it’s wearing really well,” says Roger Harris, Amtrak executive vice president, chief marketing and revenue officer. “The Acelas … were done about 2½ years ago, and they look new, still. So we think it’s going to be a big step forward in terms of maintainability.”
The Superliners are not being stripped to the walls and rebuilt inside; many elements remain as they were. “In order to get them all done, we made sure we did the things that could be done quickly,” Harris says. “Because we wanted to get the benefits out to the customer right away. We didn’t change the lighting or anything, because that really needs to be done on heavy maintenance.”
While the overall project is expected to take about 24 months, coaches will be completed in about 18 months, says Larry Chestler, vice president, Long Distance Service Line. The work will be done at three sites — the Beech Grove (Ind.) Heavy Maintenance Facility, along with Seattle and New Orleans. “Those are places where we do overnight maintenance and have the facilities to do this kind of stuff,” Chestler says. Three cars will be out of service at any one time to receive the refresh.
The preview included a completed upstairs of a Sightseer Lounge; the downstairs café had not yet been refurbished. “I think this car came out so well,” Harris said. “We used to have these low-backed seats. They weren’t very durable.” Booths in the lounge car reflect the planned design for refurbishment of the dining car, with a distinctive arched seatback easily distinguished from the current design.
In the sleeping car, Chestler showed off examples of a refurbished bedroom and roomette, along with the new bedding and
towels coming systemwide. That bedding — tested last year on Auto Train — will be placed into service as it arrives, likely in August. Even unrefurbished cars will see that portion of the new look.
A notable change in the bedrooms: In the showers, single-use containers will give way to large pump dispensers for soap, shampoo and conditioner. This change, reflecting a similar move by major hotel chains, aims to do away with the significant trash generated by the single-use containers.
As has been true with plans for many businesses, the Amtrak project was delayed by supply-chain issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic or other issues, Harris says. As an example, he cited the new carpeting. “The backing was made by a factory that was hit by the Texas freeze,” he says, referring to the February cold snap and power outages that shut down much of the state. “So we have a carpet shortage. That wasn’t even COVID; It’s just the little things like that you don’t think about.”
Share this article
