WASHINGTON — Coaches where half of the seats face backwards have been standard for years on Amtrak services ranging from many regional state-supported corridors to Acela First Class. Beginning March 2, that configuration is being extended to all Northeast Regional Amfleet-equipped trains. Acela Business Class will transition to permanent “fixed forward and backward” seating later this year, according to an Amtrak advisory. The new Acela and Aero trainsets will also feature fixed-direction seating.
A “Special Employee Advisory” obtained by Trains News Wire says the move will facilitate four additional New York-Washington Northeast Corridor weekday round trips as well as two on the weekend. Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams says scheduling details will be announced next week. “The new frequencies are expected to serve between 25,000 to 30,000 riders per month and generate millions of dollars in incremental ticket revenue for the remainder of (fiscal year) 2024,” says the advisory.
Abrams tells News Wire, “Converted HHP8Cs are part of the plan.” Some of these now-unpowered control units have been spotted testing during the last few months on the Keystone Corridor. The notably unreliable electric locomotives were delivered concurrently with Acela trainsets but sidelined with the arrival of the ACS64 fleet.
Fixed seating “will allow us to operate a number of these trains as push-pull with platform turns, without rotating seats so that all seats face forward as they do today,” according to the internal advisory. Equipment reversing in this manor can be turned in about an hour, “down from about 2.5 to 3 hours required to wye the trains.” Fewer deadheading yard moves will thus be needed.
The Vermonter, Carolinian, New York’s Empire Service and all Virginia trains are being converted, but the Pennsylvanian and Palmetto will continue to have all forward-facing seats. Trains operating with a half-business club/dinette will still have business-class seats always facing forward. Business-class conversion is to be implemented March 4.
The “How you can help” portion of the Amtrak employee message urges workers to “consider sitting in the backward-facing seats. While our research indicates the majority of customers are comfortable sitting in either direction, a small group of customers has a strong preference to having a forward-facing seat.”
The public advisory on the new seating arrangement says conductors can help find any available forward-facing seats, but notes “forward-facing seats are available on a first-come basis and are not guaranteed.” Business-class customers’ seat selection is to include fixed forward options, but seat assignments can also be changed after purchase on the Amtrak app or the Amtrak website.
Share this article
