As Washington’s Union Station continues to rank as Amtrak’s second-busiest station in the country, serving 5,639,617 passengers in fiscal year 2024 and hosting more than 200 daily trains, a private rail company is pressing Amtrak to rethink how Americans travel overnight across the country.
AmeriStarRail has formally proposed replacing Amtrak’s aging long-distance rail cars with a new bi-level trainset designed to operate nationwide, including routes serving the District and running through the Northeast Corridor’s restrictive tunnel network.
“As described and updated in January 7th, May 1st and September 30th, 2025, letters to Amtrak, AmeriStarRail has been developing alternative concepts for Amtrak’s Long Distance Fleet Replacement to improve passenger safety, comfort and the economic viability of Amtrak’s future long distance fleet,” the company wrote in a letter to Amtrak President Roger Harris.
The proposal centers on a standardized trainset called the AmeriStarliner, a 12-car bi-level design, to replace both Superliner and single-level long-distance cars with a single fleet capable of operating on any Amtrak route nationwide. AmeriStarRail says the design would simplify manufacturing and maintenance by limiting the fleet to seven core car types while expanding passenger capacity and onboard amenities.
For D.C., where long-distance trains depart daily for Chicago, Florida, New Orleans and beyond, the timing aligns with a rebound in ridership. Amtrak data show passenger counts at Union Station have climbed by an estimated 20%, even as much of the long-distance equipment in service dates back decades.
AmeriStarRail’s design targets those shortcomings directly.
SlumberCoach cars would feature lay-flat reclining seats arranged in private compartments. Sleeper cars would include bedrooms designed for up to four passengers and drawing rooms capable of accommodating six, allowing families to travel together overnight. Luggage would be stored in integrated floor space within compartments, reducing congestion and freeing aisle space.
Above the compartments, every upper level of the passenger cars would be enclosed by SkyViewDome glazing using electro-chromatic smart glass that adjusts automatically to light and temperature, eliminating the need for curtains. SkyView Observation Cars, at each end of the train, would include: two-story solarium lounges, café seating, private dining rooms, and dedicated children’s play areas designed as permanent features rather than retrofits.
Accessibility is built into the structure of the trainset. The AmeriStarliner would use low-level vestibules with fold-out ramps, allowing boarding at both high- and low-level platforms. Passage through the train would occur along a 36-inch-wide ADA-compliant lower-level corridor, connecting cars through full-width vestibules. The design also allows food service carts to move between cars without barriers.
AmeriStarRail says the trainsets are engineered to flex capacity from roughly 300 to 600 passengers depending on demand, with articulated sections that allow trains to be split for different destinations or reconfigured en route. One of the stated goals is generating at least 200 revenue passenger miles per train mile, a benchmark the company says is necessary to improve the financial performance of long-distance routes.
Behind the proposal is a nondisclosure agreement with a major international railcar manufacturer currently producing trains in the United States.
AmeriStarRail says the partnership could support construction of up to 1,020 cars using private financing. If Amtrak commits to the project before the end of 2026, delivery of the first trainset could begin by the fourth quarter of 2031, with production continuing at a rate of 204 cars per year over five years.
Amtrak Chairman Anthony Coscia reportedly has agreed to meet with AmeriStarRail to explore how private-sector investment and new train design could support the long-distance network. Officials said the proposal is also endorsed by Paul H. Reistrup, a former Amtrak president now serving as a senior advisor to AmeriStarRail.
“As America’s 250th birthday approaches, AmeriStarRail is proud to offer Amtrak a grand conveyance, the AmeriStarliner long distance trainset, to usher in a golden age of travel for Amtrak passengers with the finest way to travel across America,” AmeriStarRail Chief Operating Officer Scott R. Spencer wrote in an email to The Informer.