New Trains Begin Portland, Seattle Run

Sun., Jan. 10, 1999

From Staff

New European-style Amtrak trains are expected to begin service Monday between Seattle and Portland.

Two Spanish-designed Talgo trains with 7-foot tail fins were to have begun service in mid-December but final assembly of the trains was delayed.

Service to Vancouver, British Columbia, is not expected to begin until later this month because a third train is not yet finished.

The trains replace leased Talgo equipment that has been in use for four years. They are more plush than the leased coaches, including outlets for laptop computers, on-board videos and global-positioning equipment.

Although capable of going 120 mph, the trains are limited to 79 mph in this area. Their ability to take curves at high speeds has cut the travel time between Seattle and Portland to 3-1/2 hours from more than four hours.

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