Welcome to the new Steel Wheels ‘E’ Magazine. As I noted in the last print version of Steel Wheels, the former print version faced the insurmountable obstacles of cost increases (paper, printing, and mailing) and most importantly there are fewer printers and mail houses competing for RailPAC’s low-volume business. The effort to streamline the process and find economies continued to be undermined by cost increases and the loss of supporting vendors.

In that issue I also indicated that RailPAC was overhauling its website and including Steel Wheels as part of its content. The revamp website was launched mid-August and now we have the new Steel Wheels ‘E’ Magazine. The goal for the ‘E’ magazine was to give readers the look of the print Steel Wheels with the wide range of articles featured in the print version. And Paul Dyson is ‘From the Rear Platform’ as expected. A new Steel Wheels will appear quarterly.

In addition to the Steel Wheels ‘E’ Magazine, RailPAC’s new website has several features to keep RailPAC members informed and to provide resources for their advocacy. At the top of the landing page is an menu with links to all the sections of the website. The Resources section is where members will find links to agency Business Plans, performance data, projects, etc. There is a map of projects and their status. Because of the number of links this section is under development so not all links are posted yet. Next is the Steel Wheels ‘E’ Magazine. Links to specific articles are on the Steel Wheels cover or one can scroll down the pages to each article. Posted in the Commentary section are all the recent commentary letters RailPAC has sent to agencies regarding proposed projects and policy actions. Next is the Newswire section where current articles of interest from newspapers, newsfeeds, magazines, etc. are posted. It is real time news for members. Finally, there is a link to join, donate or renew your membership in RailPAC.

Below the menu is a scroll of the latest articles. The largest pictures are a scroll of all commentaries submitted by RailPAC. So, explore and enjoy! But a reminder, RailPAC’s Website and Steel Wheels ‘E’ Magazine are designed to give you the tools for outreach to your local, state, and national legislatures, use it for advocacy of expanded rail service.

Turning to other recent initiatives, the key one is equipment. Amtrak has launched Acela II service on the Northeast Corridor. This is critical from the revenue perspective. With almost 30% more capacity per train than the Acela I trainsets, Amtrak stands to see a significant boost in ridership and ticket revenues, especially given constrained NEC airline capacity and reliability and the never-ending traffic congestion on I-95. Given the political situation, the boost in ticket revenues will provide Amtrak with a strong talking point in FY 26.

Under construction at Siemens in Sacramento are the Airo train sets with the first train set at Pueblo, CO for testing. It would appear that sufficient Airo train sets will be available for service on the Cascades in early 2026. The next chapter in the long-running long-distance equipment order is an RFP for lower density and high-density single-level coaches and cafes to replace the Amfleet II equipment. The high-density coaches, mixed with a lower density coach operated as Business Class, would be used on trains such as the Palmetto and Maple Leaf. This initiative could simply represent, along with the Airo train sets, an effort to clean out the Amfleet as early as possible or it could be “shot across the bow” for equipment manufacturers that Amtrak has options and to get serious about Amtrak’s requirements for long-distance fleet replacement.

Also in Washington, September/October brings the usual end of year Budget battle for the next fiscal year. This year there are reports that the situation is especially fractious. As a result, there is a high probability of a government shutdown, potentially a long one. In past shutdowns Amtrak has managed its cash flow to remain in operation for at least a few weeks. The longer the shutdown, the more problematic it becomes, which is why the additional ticket revenue from the expanded Acela capacity will be welcome.

And to make things interesting, Union Pacific Railroad has proposed a merger with the Norfolk Southern Railway to create a transcontinental railroad. This is not a simple merger but one that would certainly force BNSF and CSX to merge remaking US railroading. Since new Surface Transportation Board merger rules require public benefits, coincidently both railroads have settled long-running On-Time Performance cases with Amtrak. No details are available for the settlement but there are hints it may include some binding enforcement requirements. Improved on-time performance is critical for Amtrak’s financial situation, driving reduced costs, increased ticket revenues and improved Customer Satisfaction.

Finally, in a very forward leaning initiative, Ian Choudri CEO CAHSRA has put forward a strategy to link the Central Valley segment of high-speed rail to the Bay Area and Southern California. This plan challenges the Legislature to provide the tools (outlined in HSR Current Situation article) to allow the Agency to make meaningful progress and involve the private sector, to build faster, avoid future construction cost inflation, and build a commercially viable system.