Amtrak's new Airo trains will replace aging coaches on the Cascades route starting Wednesday, Sept. 30, adding more than 300 seats per departure.

Area residents can get an early look before the launch. A preview excursion will stop in Oregon City at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, according to Trains magazine.

A public walk-through at Portland Union Station is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 27, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Attendees can sign up for a half-hour window through a registration link.

The seat boost matters. The Cascades line has operated with reduced capacity since March 2025, when dozens of 1980s-era Horizon rail cars were pulled from service for corrosion problems.

Ridership fell in 2025 from a record high of nearly 1 million riders in 2024, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation's (WSDOT) 2025 Amtrak Cascades Annual Performance Report.

"That has been what has kept us from moving forward," Charles Hamilton, executive director of passenger rail advocacy group All Aboard Washington, said in a Sept. 18 interview first reported by the Lake Oswego Review. Hamilton noted existing trains regularly sell out on Fridays and Sundays.

Two Airo trainsets will operate four daily trips on launch day, connecting Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, Portland and Eugene, Amtrak said in a Sept. 17 press release. The Cascades is the first route in the country to receive the next-generation equipment. Some of the coaches being retired date to the 1970s.

Washington and Oregon co-manage the 467-mile Cascades route, which serves 18 cities, and contract with Amtrak to operate it. Passenger fares cover slightly more than half of annual operating costs, with taxpayers covering the rest. Oregon Department of Transportation Interim Director Chris Warner said in the Amtrak press release that Oregon continues to reach record ridership, though the WSDOT performance report showed overall Cascades ridership declined in 2025 after the Horizon cars were sidelined.

The Airo trainsets, manufactured by Siemens Mobility, feature individual power outlets and USB ports, complimentary Wi-Fi, panoramic windows, and six restrooms with touchless controls. The onboard café offers self-service options.

The trains will not be faster. The freight-dominated corridor caps speeds at 79 mph. A WSDOT spokesperson said the current schedule will continue for the foreseeable future.

Amtrak Cascades will run a mixed fleet through fall and winter, with a full transition to Airo trains expected by early 2027. Three trainsets are ready for service, with two in active rotation and one spare. In total, eight new trainsets, two diesel locomotives and a spare cab car are headed to the Northwest as part of a nationwide modernization order Amtrak placed with Siemens in 2021.

The Portland Union Station walk-through on Sept. 27 is open to the public, with Amtrak personnel leading small groups through the equipment and ODOT and WSDOT volunteers assisting.