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Amtrak is increasing the capacity of many trains.

This week, I received great news from the Rail Passengers Association’s Hotline #1,385 Newsletter!

Passengers on the Texas Eagle have something to look forward to—the Sightseer Lounge is returning by March 3 after a long absence! Jim Mathews, President & CEO of the Rail Passengers Association, reported that Amtrak has confirmed additional cars will be returning to service. This initiative is part of a broader effort to boost capacity and enhance amenities across the network.

Last fall, in response to record ridership and growing demand, Amtrak secured a Sleeper and a Coach as dedicated through cars for the Sunset Limited, improving connectivity for Texas Eagle passengers.

More Trains Getting Capacity Upgrades

Other exciting service enhancements include:
🚆 California Zephyr – Adding a third Sleeper and third Coach
🚆 Cardinal – Gaining a third Coach
🚆 Floridian – Receiving a third Sleeper
🚆 Coast Starlight – Adding a third Coach
🚆 Empire Builder – Expanding to four Coaches
🚆 Southwest Chief – Adding a second Sleeper and a third Coach
🚆 Heartland Flyer – Getting a third Coach

Some of these additions are seasonal, while others may become permanent.

Thanks to Amtrak’s efforts to reactivate stored railcars, these expansions will help meet increasing demand. While 33 more cars are still awaiting reactivation, Amtrak is optimistic they’ll be back in service this spring. Even better—all COVID-era mothballed cars are now in use, a big step toward improvpassenger availabilitygers!

With these upgrades, Amtrak is making significant strides to enhance the passenger experience and expand capacity—just in time for a busy travel season! 🚄

Amtrak Long-Distance On-Time Performance Report is available.

The January 2025 numbers are out, and I compiled them for you. If you are interested, check them out. Some trains went up, and some went down.

​Here is the Amtrak long-distance report.

Amtrak reports on all their trains, but it's too difficult for me to make a report on every train in the system. Travels with Kev is a one-guy operation! Haha.

What has Kev been up to?

GoingThe warmer weather in Wisconsin lly lifted my spirits. It feels terrific to go for my morning walks a feels terrificgain—without freezing or worrying about ice!

I’m getting excited about and preparing for my upcoming train journey. My next step is deciding which luggage to take. I’m also trying to figure out how much work I want to do and what kind of work I’ll need to do while traveling. That will help me choose what luggage I need.

Have you ever achieved something you didn’t plan on? I did that this week: I ordered a new phone! I logged into my carrier for an unrelated reason, and the next thing I knew, a new phone coming way. It’s been three years since my last upgrade, and it was a great deal, so I’m happy with it.

Another reason it’s coming at a good time is that I’m working on getting new gear for filming YouTube videos. This update will allow me to connect all my USB-C gear to my podcast recorder. I'm hoping to update my iPad this year, but we’ll see how that goes!

Looking at the Marker 🚂

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To help keep this going, check out the links above or visit my support page. Together, we're inspiring more people to explore the world—one train trip at a time! 🚆✨

Your support also enables me to grow, upgrade my equipment, and gain new experiences to share with you.

A special shoutout to my amazing Patreon community! Your support provides early access to new podcasts and videos, a monthly postcard from me, and exclusive behind-the-scenes updates (often featuring photos).

Until Next Week…

Happy planning and safe travels,
Kev Monteith