A coast-to-coast rail connection across the United States could become a reality by 2028, according to new plans for the transcontinental service revealed by train operator AmeriStarRail.
The proposed route between New York and Los Angeles would offer a 72-hour journey time between the east and west coast cities, as well as stops in significant destinations such as Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg, plus a branch connection via Philadelphia to Washington DC.
The New York terminus would not be the city’s iconic Penn Station, one of the busiest transport hubs in the world at the heart of the Big Apple. Instead, Hoboken Terminal in New Jersey provides the east coast’s arrival and departure point, with connections to Manhattan available by ferry on PATH trains.
Dubbed the Transcontinental Chief, the service would serve not only foot passengers but also allow vehicles on board, including truck tractors – allowing commercial drivers to continue their routes while resting as federally mandated.
Aimed at those commercial customers, commuters from smaller towns along the route, as well as tourists who have completed Route 66 road trips but don’t want to drive the return, the combined model would be more profitable than Amtrak’s current long-distance operations, AmeriStarRail has claimed.
The proposed Transcontinental Chief would operate on existing railroad infrastructure, using Amtrak’s existing Superliner equipment, which reduces obstacles such as construction permits for new lines and rolling stock supply. In fact, the service was supposed to be inaugurated as promptly as May 2026, however, it is yet to materialise.
The main barrier to progress is AmeriStar’s failure to secure a partnership with Amtrak. Scott Spencer, the firm’s chief operating officer told USA Today that the national rail corporation has so far refused to form a joint venture, preventing the project from meeting statute requirements and entering into agreements with railroad owners.
An Amtrak spokesperson has confirmed that their analysis is that the concept is so far “lacking a fundamental business case.”
AmeriStar and Amtrak have exchanged increasingly acrimonious statements over the issue, with AmeriStar refusing to publish its “proprietary” business case and claiming that Amtrak is blind to “innovative solutions to transform Amtrak’s money-losing, late long distance trains into reliable, profitable train service.” Amtrak meanwhile has accused AmeriStar of “lofty ambitions” and restated its focus on passenger routes rather than combined freight services.
Nonetheless, Spencer has confirmed that AmeriStarRail continues to seek investors and “is still actively pursuing this opportunity with many mayors, economic development interests, (chambers of commerce) and logistics owners and investors, across the country along the route.”
The service is now slated to commence in May 2028 ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics, giving sports fans another way of reaching host city, Los Angeles.
