Amtrak Begins Seattle Rail Yard Upgrade Project

Major construction activities are underway at Amtrak’s King Street Yard in Seattle, WA, where crews recently began building the foundation for a new, nearly 100,000-square-foot maintenance facility that will help improve Amtrak service and support the introduction of new trains in the Pacific Northwest.

The upgraded King Street Yard will support the introduction of new Amtrak Airo trains set to enter service first on the Amtrak Cascades route in 2026, along with maintenance for trains on the Long Distance routes that operate out of this yard. When the project is completed in 2027, the modernized yard will feature a new two-bay maintenance and inspection facility and a new service and cleaning bay.

“The Pacific Northwest is a key priority for Amtrak, with the popular Amtrak Cascades line between Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, BC, and points in between, as well as our Long Distance Coast Starlight and Empire Builder trains connecting the region,” said Amtrak President Roger Harris. “This critical investment will help us meet growing customer demand for a new era of rail with brand new trains that will upgrade safety, reliability, and comfort.”

Similar investments are under construction or soon to be underway at six other Amtrak rail yards across the U.S. Each Amtrak Airo train will be operated as a single trainset, rather than individual railcars, and these new rail yard facilities will help create a consistent maintenance system that improves efficiencies and reduces turnaround times during repairs or inspections.