Amtrak advances Seattle rail yard upgrades

Amtrak is advancing construction of a new 100,000-square-foot maintenance facility at its King Street Yard in Seattle.

The $300 million investment in Seattle will support increasing demand for passenger-rail service in the Pacific Northwest with modern and more efficient maintenance practices, Amtrak officials said in a press release.

The facility will feature two maintenance and inspection bays and a service and cleaning bay. Amtrak’s new Airo trains, which are scheduled to launch in 2026 on the Amtrak Cascades route, will receive maintenance at the new facility, as will the long-distance Coast Starlight and Empire Builder trains. 

Preconstruction began in summer 2024, and pile driving and mass excavation are expected to be completed by the end of 2025. The pre-engineered metal building will be build in early 2026, Amtrak officials said.

Similar investments are under construction or soon will be underway at five other Amtrak rail yards, including Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., New York City and Rensselaer, New York.