Amtrak's new AIro trains, coming to Seattle next year, can go 125 mph. Illustration courtesy of WSDOT
Seattle is a stepcloser to getting new, faster Amtrak trains.
Driving the news: Construction has begun at Amtrak's Seattle maintenance facility to help launch the company's new Airo trains, which can travel 125 miles per hour.
Why it matters: The trains — which promise faster and more comfortable rides — are set to debut first on the Amtrak Cascades route, which connects Seattle to Portland and Vancouver B.C.
The trains are slated to be in service on the route by the end of next year, according to Amtrak spokesperson W. Kyle Anderson.
State of play: In the meantime, Seattleites may notice major work happening in SoDo.
By the numbers: The $300 million maintenance facility will stretch 600 feet — almost two football fields.
That's long enough to accommodate the full Airo "trainset," which can't be separated like older railcars, Anderson told Axios.
500,000 gallons of groundwater will be pumped out daily during construction, enough to fill 15 swimming pools. (The site sits on a former tidal bed filled with early Seattle landfill.)
The facility will be anchored by steel piles driven 140 feet into the ground, which would stretch out 17 miles if lined up end to end.
The bottom line: While Seattle's Airo facility is the second to break ground, after Philadelphia, it will be the first to open, per Anderson.
What they're saying: "The Pacific Northwest is a key priority for Amtrak," said company President Roger Harris during a visit to Seattle during the groundbreaking this month.
"This critical investment will help us meet growing customer demand for a new era of rail with brand new trains."
