Amtrak cleans up with new washing machines

By Julie Sneider, Senior Editor

Amtrak’s multiyear effort to improve how it removes grime from train exteriors was on full display Oct. 23, when the railroad invited observers to view a new train-washing process now underway at the Chicago Terminal.

In response to years of passenger complaints about dirty train exteriors, Amtrak drafted a plan in fiscal-year 2020 to upgrade and/or replace train-washing structures in multiple locations across the country. The railroad’s cleaning equipment had become so dilapidated that all but one train-washing rack was out of service as of winter 2023-24, the Rail Passengers Association reported in a July 2024 newsletter.

Using federal funding slated for capital improvements, Amtrak in FY2023 began construction on automated train-washing structures in several cities. So far, the railroad has completed structures in four cities, with the one in Chicago as the latest. Projects are underway in seven additional cities.

Full replacements of train-washing facilities also have been completed in New Orleans for $10.3 million and Seattle for $6.7 million, and a $2.3 million upgrade was finished in Boston.

A just-washed train moves along track at the Chicago Terminal.

Photo: Julie Sneider

A full replacement of an older structure, the project in Chicago was completed at a cost of $6.3 million and began operations in mid-September.

During the Oct. 23 demonstration, crews sent three trains through the train-washing structure — which, on a much bigger scale, resembles an automatic car wash. At a speed of no more than 2 mph, each train moved on track through the open-ended structure, where it was sprayed with an acid wash, rinsed and then moved past a series of driers upon exit. The acid/water fluid that’s sprayed on the train drains into a tank, where the liquid is neutralized.

The remaining train-wash projects, at a cost of $5 million to $5.7 million each, are in various stages of development. Designs have been completed for structures in Washington, D.C.; Goleta, California; and Sanford, Florida. Projects in various stages of design are underway in Los Angeles; Albany, New York; New York City; and Miami.

All upgraded and new facilities will feature standardized components to ensure consistent washing results and ease of maintenance, according to Amtrak officials. Process pumps are installed to automatically maintain pH levels; water recycling equipment is added to reduce the need for fresh water; and above-ground chemical tanks are put in place to ensure containment, help prevent leakage and simplify maintenance.

The railroad is committed to modernizing train-washing functions across the country as part of improving the overall passenger experience. But none of the train-washing machine installations is more crucial than the one in Chicago, where transcontinental connections occur daily, Amtrak officials say.