KANONA, N.Y. — Whether any of Amtrak’s 70-car Horizon fleet can ever return to active duty is still to be determined following extensive examination of ten vehicles at carbuilder Alstom’s 130,000-square-foot inspection and overhaul facility at Kanona in upstate New York.
Meanwhile, the rapid deployment of Northeast Corridor Amfleet equipment to the Pacific Northwest means almost all Amtrak Cascades departures are set to be restored by Sunday, April 6.
The cars were suddenly pulled from service a week ago, with Amtrak citing corrosion issues [see “Amtrak sidelines Horizon car fleet …,” Trains News Wire, March 26, 2025]. In response to a set of detailed News Wire questions, Amtrak would only confirm that the cars were sent to the shop after “some corrosion” was detected during a periodic inspection. Once the 1989-vintage cars arrived, however, additional corrosion was discovered by Amtrak inspectors “in areas normally not visible.” The company said it had determined “corrosive effects on structural steel accelerated due to the amount of water, ice, and de-icing treatments that have accumulated over the lifecycle of Horizon passenger cars. That result was verified and confirmed by Alstom, the successor to Bombardier Transportation, the original manufacturer.”
Other sources have told News Wire that the cars were sent to Alstom for the purpose of repairing visible corrosion around vestibules and traps. However, when that process began and cars were removed from their trucks, floors or ceilings reportedly buckled or collapsed. Neither Amtrak nor Alstom would confirm this; Amtrak would only say it is “working with Alstom to examine the fleet and address the findings,” though few movements of Horizon cars have been detected since they were sidelined following the initial inspections.
Much of the original 104-car order, constructed of steel and aluminum, has operated for decades in the upper Midwest where extensive use of salt on icy platforms and metal steps, as well as highway road salt pummeling underframes at crossings took its toll. Horizons generally received periodic maintenance at Amtrak’s Brighton Park facility on Chicago’s southwest side, while overhauls were done at the company’s Beech Grove Heavy Maintenance Facility near Indianapolis.
In the past, News Wire has observed the Brighton Park operation, which involved extensive exterior washing and deep cleaning of interiors. Asked whether that regimen continues, Amtrak would only say, “our cars routinely receive maintenance, preventive and otherwise.”
Amfleet deployed; Hiawatha to receive Superliners
Amtrak has filled the equipment void in the Pacific Northwest, where 26 Horizon cars were sidelined, by ferrying stainless steel Northeast Corridor Amfleet coaches and cafes for use on Amtrak Cascades service between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, B.C. [see “Restoration of Amtrak Cascades service …,” News Wire, March 31, 2025]. Buses have substituted for trains until the substitutes arrived. Plans as of today (Thursday, April 3) call for all train service to be restored by Sunday, April 6, except for train no. 502, the 8:30 a.m. departure from Portland, Ore., to Seattle. That service will begin Monday, April 7. Trains are generally assigned only two coaches and one cafe/Business Class car, except for the single available Talgo trainset, which now will rotate through all departures.
Beginning Friday April 4, bus substitutions will end on all Chicago-Milwaukee Hiawatha departures when Superliners will be deployed. The move coincides with the end of Colorado’s Winter Park Express, which had its final runs last weekend. The coaches were originally set to lengthen the consists of long-distance trains.
— Updated at 3:20 p.m. CT with Hiawatha information.
