Communications New Talgo trains making their way to Oregon

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New Talgo trains making their way to Oregon

What's new


	Oregon's Talgo trainset, preparing for move to Colorado

Thank you for helping us name our trains!

You have spoken... and our two new trains will be named "Mt. Jefferson" and "Mt. Bachelor." Read the news release for more information, and watch for our new Talgo trainsets to join the Amtrak Cascades service soon.

The Spanish-made Talgo trains, assembled in Wisconsin, are undergoing testing and modifications to meet Federal Railroad Administration approval. In Seattle, they will undergo corridor and employee familiarization testing, and they are expected to be in revenue service in the summer of 2013.

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Background


	Cab of Oregon's new train gets connected to an idler car

Buying trains gives Oregon options
The five trainsets now operating in the Cascades corridor are stretched to their limit covering existing service commitments, and any planned expansion would not be possible without additional trains. In fact, ridership continues to set records, and recent open houses held around the state show Oregonians favor a strong passenger rail program.

One specific expansion coming up in the Northwest, required by the funding awarded and scheduled for completion in 2017, requires Washington to add two
additional roundtrips between Portland and Seattle. Because Washington DOT owns three of the current five trains and Amtrak owns the other two, that expansion could have meant a disruption in or elimination of service between Portland and Eugene.

To ensure equipment is available for Portland-Eugene service, Oregon opted to purchase trains that can be used cooperatively with the current fleet everywhere in the corridor. By owning trains, too, Oregon will have a stronger role as a partner in the Cascades corridor. The two new Talgo trains join the five other Talgo trains in helping preserve options for Oregonians.

Talgo trains offer safety, seating, dining
Oregon’s Talgo trains consist of 13 segments and provide seating for up to 275 passengers. They are semi-permanently attached, or articulated, and share wheel sets at the point where they are joined. The make up (or “consist” in railroad terms) of a Talgo train cannot be lengthened or shortened in response to demands for service. The “trainset” terminology comes from the fixed nature: a train of semi-permanently coupled segments that operates from one terminal to another as a single unit. Just like an airplane, the seating capacity is fixed.

The Talgo trains have a lower center of gravity and a unique suspension system that allows them to take curves faster than conventional trains. They are also built to meet the safety specifications set by the Federal Railroad Administration. Oregon purchased Talgo trains for these reasons as well as because the state needed to buy the same type equipment that was already in use in the corridor; this way, the new trains can be used in rotation with the existing trainsets providing Cascades service.

Trainset costs and operation
ODOT purchased the trains using federal ARRA funds that the Oregon Transportation Commission redirected to rail based on bids coming in lower than projected on highway projects. The original purchase agreement with Talgo was for $36.6 million; ODOT has approved an additional $6 million for consultants, spare parts, testing and the addition of WiFi. Partners in operating the train include Washington DOT and Amtrak.

Amtrak will furnish motive power, just as it does today. Because no new schedules are expected to be added until 2017, the existing locomotive roster should continue to be adequate.

Learn more about Oregon's Talgo Trains

Watch the NEW video from our first train's arrival in Oregon!

April 2013 Fact Sheet

Trains Magazine goes in-depth into Oregon's Talgo trains, Jan. 2013

NEW Photos on FlickR (April 16, 2013)

Talgo Series 8 Brochure

Talgo Trains In The News

Amtrak Cascades gets a King Tut makeover (KOMO TV, Seattle)

Train beats plane (Post Intelligencer)

Ridership growing (Register Guard)

New trains are coming (Democrat Herald)

Amtrak Cascades Schedule