AmeriStarRail, which for some time has been proposing privately owned and operated passenger service on the Northeast Corridor, has gone in a new direction with its latest proposal — literally and figuratively.
The company is now proposing a long-distance train that would offer coast-to-coast service in less than 72 hours between New York and Los Angeles — not just for passengers, but for truck drivers and their tractor-trailers. And it has asked Amtrak to partner in the effort, in a June 30, 2025, letter from AmeriStar Chief Operating Officer Scott Spencer to Amtrak President Roger Harris.
The “Transcontinental Chief” would include drive-aboard service for truckers, allowing them to make use of Amtrak coach, sleepers, and dining cars as they continue to travel during their federally-mandated rest periods. The train would also offer Auto Train-type service for passenger cars and vehicles, including charter buses, and include a Harrisburg, Pa.-Washington, D.C., section.
AmeriStarRail says that the train would replace Amtrak’s existing Southwest Chief and Pennsylvanian service. It would use existing TTX flatcars and vehicle carriers, along with Amtrak locomotives and passenger cars. Because of this, and because it would be on a route that is mostly double track, the company says the operation could begin as soon as May 10, 2026, in time for events marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. It notes that is subject to agreements with the host railroads on its proposed route: BNSF, Norfolk Southern, and NJ Transit.
ASR says in its letter to Harris that its “proprietary operating techniques will help prevent the chronic train delays and service disruptions of Amtrak’s previous inefficient operation of lengthy trains for mail and express services.” The company also says it will complete plans for bilevel trainsets by Oct. 1, 2025, “with features and amenities to ensure that Amtrak passengers will have the finest trains available for travel across America.”
Spencer’s letter concludes, “The Transcontinental Chief will be a great opportunity for Amtrak to team up with the private sector to confront the challenges of its money-losing long distance trains and create opportunities to usher in a profitable Golden Age of rail travel for passengers and truckers, with the ingenuity of free enterprise, as we celebrate our great nation’s 250th birthday next year.
“We look forward to putting together a mutually beneficial, privately funded proposal for The Transcontinental Chief for Amtrak to consider.”
Amtrak previously hauled parcel freight and mail on its passenger trains. This ended when it proved to be less than profitable, and drew complaints from freight railroads to regulators, as well.
Drive-on trains for truckers with sleeping car accommodations have existed in Europe for some time, although they are exclusively for intermodal, not a mixed freight and passenger operation. RAlpin, the company operating such trains through Switzerland, is preparing to shut down this year following the completion of new rail tunnels.
Amtrak declined to comment on the proposal, which AmeriStarRail said it had also sent to President Donald Trump, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, members of Congress, and the Federal Railroad Administration.
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