Amtrak wants to spend $200M to improve Seattle's rail yard

Amtrak says it will improve its train yard in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood over the next couple of years. The company says the goal is to improve service for riders and safety for workers.

Seattle’s rail yard in SoDo is about to get some updates and that could mean faster travel times along the West Coast.

Amtrak is replacing its fleet of passenger cars with new, faster ones.

Right now Amtrak passenger cars can travel along the Cascades route at about 79 miles per hour. In a couple of years, they’ll run trains that can go up to 125 miles per hour.

The Amtrak Airo trains are set to debut on the Cascades line in a couple of years.

But first: Tracks and other equipment need to be updated.

In Seattle, Amtrak says it will spend $200 million to get the rail yard ready for the new trains.

The changes include improvements like adding a maintenance and inspection facility wide enough for two trains.

Amtrak also plans to update some utilities and build new tracks.

Safety improvements like fall protection will be included for people working in the train yard, Amtrak said.

The work is paid for by the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress in 2021.

Amtrak is still looking for a firm in Seattle to design and build the upgrades.

The train company expects to start work in spring next year and finish in 2027.

That's about when they hope to roll out their new trains.