Amtrak Debuts Sleek Spain-Designed Cars

Amtrak this month put its first European-designed train cars, with a smoother ride and futuristic 7-foot-tall fins, into service, between Eugene, Ore., and Seattle. Later, it plans to also use the cars on the Cascades line’s northern end, from Seattle to Vancouver, Canada.

The sleek cars, designed in Spain and built in Seattle, use modern “tilt technology,” developed by Talgo Inc., that lets them approach curves without reducing speed, and special axles and shock absorbers that smooth the ride. By contrast, “train technology has not changed in the U.S. for maybe 30 years,” commented Amtrak spokesman Dominick Albano, referring to the rest of Amtrak’s fleet, designed in the U.S. and Canada.

The new cars can travel 110 mph or more, but current track and signals limit them to 79 mph. Amtrak has plans to eventually improve the tracks, cutting travel time between Seattle and Portland from 3 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. The cars also have laptop outlets, bike racks and--unique in the West--wider aisles that allow wheelchair passengers to travel between some of the cars.