Amtrak announced April 15 that it had issued a formal request for suppliers to build a new fleet of long-distance passenger cars to replace its aging Superliners. The request comes a month after Amtrak decided it would not replace its fleet of long-distance cars — mostly used on Western routes — with bi-level Superliners.

Amtrak hopes to select a builder by the end of 2027. The railroad anticipates ordering more than 800 cars to replace those on 14 different routes.

“Our customers deserve the best, and this new fleet will move us full speed ahead into a new era of American rail travel,” said Amtrak President Roger Harris in a video shared by Amtrak as part of the announcement.

The video showed renderings of what Amtrak hopes the new cars will look like from the inside, although officials note that the designs are still early. Amtrak hopes to start putting the new fleet in service sometime in the 2030s. —Justin Franz