A 72-hour train ride from New York to Los Angeles could be launched as early as next year
A railroad company has proposed a new, privately funded train route that could begin transporting passengers between Los Angeles and New York City in just 72 hours as early as next year.
A railroad company has proposed a new, privately funded train route that could begin transporting passengers between Los Angeles and New York City in just 72 hours as early as next year.
USA Today reports that Delaware-based AmeriStarRail has unveiled a coast-to-coast route called the “Transcontinental Chief,” hoping to begin operations on May 10, 2026, the United States’ 250th birthday and before the World Cup. Whether this date, also known as National Train Day, can be achieved depends on the signing of operating agreements with the railroads.
The plan has been submitted to Amtrak, and AmeriStarRail claims the partnership will be mutually beneficial, emphasizing that the new route will be more profitable than Amtrak’s existing long-distance trains.
AmeriStarRail CEO Scott Spencer stated that this is an effort to address Amtrak’s challenges and create opportunities for success. They hope that all stakeholders, including the railroads, will recognize the tremendous opportunity this presents for the United States.
However, Amtrak spokesperson Beth Toll said in a statement that the company had reviewed AmeriStarRail’s plan and concluded that the underlying business case for its “lofty” proposal was lacking. Amtrak is not considering combining freight and passenger routes, but instead remains focused on enhancing interstate passenger service, as evidenced by its continued ridership and revenue growth.
AmeriStarRail responded that its innovative solution to transform Amtrak’s loss-making, delayed long-distance trains into reliable, profitable passenger and multi-modal express train services is proprietary and confidential, and that it would not detail the underlying business case in the public letter.
The Transcontinental Chieftain is intended to replace existing cross-country routes.
AmeriStarRail stated that the Transcontinental Chieftain is intended to replace Amtrak’s Southwest Chief and Pennsylvanian routes, which currently run between Southern California and New York, stopping in Chicago or Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
New York passengers can take the PATH subway or ferry to the Hoboken terminal in New Jersey to catch a train. AmeriStarRail explained that because the Penn Station tunnel in New York City restricts Amtrak’s double-decker Superliners, it can’t stop directly in the Big Apple, a problem not encountered in Los Angeles.
AmeriStarRail said the route will also include a single-decker section from Harrisburg to Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.
Spencer said that after discussions with stakeholders along the route, from Victorville, California, to Newton, Kansas, and Lebanon, Pennsylvania, they all agreed that the Transcontinental Chief will be an economic engine for their communities.
He said the Transcontinental Chief will also provide Route 66 travelers with an alternative return route after their nearly 2,500-mile journey.
The new route will serve as a mobile rest stop for truckers.
AmeriStarRail said that in addition to transporting passengers, the Transcontinental Chief will also transport truckers and their vehicles coast-to-coast over three days, serving as a mobile rest stop for truckers and providing a safe alternative to parking shortages.
At stations along the route, drivers can load the entire trailer onto a railroad flatbed, then relax in a regular passenger car during the 200- to 500-mile journey during the federally mandated 10-hour rest period, the company said in a press release.
Spencer said the route is slated to debut in May of next year, initially serving Los Angeles and New York City, with plans to add more stops in the future. The company aims to expand Amtrak’s Auto Train service to the route, including cars, vans, motorcycles, RVs, and tour buses.
