PHILADELPHIA — What is likely the first Siemens Airo trainset for Eastern U.S. service has arrived in the Northeast, reaching Philadelphia today (Saturday, Oct. 10) as extra train No. 965.
The train, caught this morning at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s Overbrook station, consisted for two P42DCs, an ALC42, an ALC42E — a hybrid unit created for the Airos — and an eight-car trainset featuring a new variant of the Phase VII paint scheme introduced in 2022. The new equipment will undergo extensive testing before entering service in the Northeast, which is currently projected for late 2027.
The first Airos to enter service are now operating on the Amtrak Cascades service in the Pacific Northwest [see “News photos: First run for Cascades Airo …,” Trains.com, Sept. 30, 2026, and “Airo Cascades features are an upgrade …,” Sept. 29, 2026]. Eight of the 83 Airo trainsets are ticketed for the Cascades; the rest are bound for Northeast Regional service and other trains in the East including the Adirondack, Carolinian, Ethan Allen Express, Palmetto, Maple Leaf, and Vermonter…