Amfleet

Amfleet is a fleet of single-level intercity railroad passenger cars built by the Budd Company for Amtrak in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Budd based the Amfleet design on its earlier Metroliner electric multiple unit. They were the first new locomotive-hauled cars ordered by Amtrak. As of 2015, Amfleet cars are used extensively in the eastern and mid-western United States, forming the backbone of Amtrak's single-level fleet.

History

Amtrak inherited a fleet of approximately 1,200 steam-heated coaches from private sector railroads when it began operations in 1971. These cars were aging, in need of maintenance, and in many cases incompatible with each other. Amtrak recognized the need and opportunity to standardize on a single design. Amtrak ordered the Amfleets from Budd in two batches. It placed the first order on October 12, 1973, along with orders for 70 EMD SDP40F diesel locomotives and 11 GE E60 locomotives. The first batch, which came to be known as "Amfleet I", consisted of 492 cars in the following configurations: