Seattle’s $300M Amtrak expansion to bring modern trains, transportation by 2027

SEATTLE — This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.

Amtrak ridership is now well above pre-pandemic levels between Portland and British Columbia, and it’s only expected to grow as new trains debut in Seattle next year.

Only the horn of a passing train was capable of drowning out the sound of pile-driving at the new maintenance facility under construction, just south of Holgate in SODO. This $300 million expansion project is needed so Amtrak can upgrade its trains and streamline maintenance.

Amtrak President Roger Harris visited the site on Friday for the first time.

“It’s really impressive, not only how much work has been done this quickly, but how large the facility is going to be,” he said in the shadow of massive piles being driven into the ground.

Because of the soft and wet soil, workers are de-watering 500,000 gallons from the site a day so they can install 140-foot-long pilings into the ground. When finished, the new 600-foot-long building will be able to accommodate Amtrak’s new Airo trains, which will debut in Seattle next year.

The amenities and frequency of the new Amtrak trains

“It has 5G Wi-Fi,” Harris said. “It has a modern food service car, modern seating, lighting, etc, so the entire customer experience is far more contemporary.”

The new building is designed for these new trains and will make the maintenance process much more efficient.

“The trains will come in every day or so. They get a certain level of maintenance that’s planned in advance,” Harris said. “You don’t have to separate the train, move it to a different building, put it back together, etc. So it’s a much more careful car graph maintenance program, I would say.”

It will also keep the trains and the workers out of the rain.

“In the climate here in the Pacific Northwest, being able to put all the maintenance under cover 24/7 and have an air-conditioned work environment. It is also a substantially better work environment that improves worker productivity,” Harris said.

The new 100,000 square foot maintenance building is expected to open in 2027. It will be the first new maintenance yard to open out of the six Amtrak is building around the country.

Nearly one million people rode the Amtrak Cascades line last year. That’s a 41% increase over ridership in 2023, and has surpassed pre-pandemic ridership numbers in 2019.

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.

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