NEW Business Class on the Amtrak Venture Cars 

I work for Siemens Mobility. I actually work in the welding shop building the coach and cab cars. I get to build them strcuturally, and see them get assembled with all of their internals getting installed. Pretty cool to start seeing them in videos!

A train ride in the rain looks wonderful.

I agree with you. These trains look so great. I've always loved Siemens' rolling stock. The announcements are a good step in the right direction for accessibility. The interior looks much more modern and the features look great! I can't wait to ride on one of these venture cars!

A business class car treated as coach? It's like they knew a celebrity in the transit community was on board and gave you VIP treatment! Jealous! Love the automated announcements! They're helpful for luggage and it's loud and clear enough to wake people up to get ready for their stop ahead of time. And as someone with a disability, I'm glad they go above and beyond to make sure others make things right for accessibility through the announcements. Simply having accessibility seating areas clear for us in the community and having clear announcements makes a difference. Having a disability is a part of why I push for better transit so much. And pedestrian infrastructure in general. I live on Long Island, which is very car-oriented. I was lucky to qualify for paratransit. But for those who don't have disabilities and can't drive a car, they're basically stranded. More politicians need to realize that not everyone can afford a car nor is mentally or physically capable to drive one. But they won't realize until we keep speaking up. A simple sidewalk, pedestrianized streets, bike lanes, and increased frequency for transit can go a long way. A walkable transit city in North America is very much possible and not a pipe dream! Jersey City is an example of this!

I'm waiting for these to appear on the Illinois Zephyr, the train I use most. One perk of Midwest business class I really like is access to the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago. At no additional charge you can enjoy light snacks and soft drinks and also leave your baggage all day before or after a trip.

Whenever you get the chance, head to Florida and ride the Brightline. These coaches were actually developed for them. Brightline's Premium option is comparable to the Business class shown here. I think Brightline did it better though...

These carriages are very impressive and a darn sight more passenger friendly than the Amfleet cars. I have had only one experience of the Amfleet type, on a San Diegan back in 1989. You and Lindsey were indeed blessed to have the upgrade without extra cost. A reward for sharing your travel experiences and ideas. Keep up the good work.

Thank you young man for showing me new places and trains.

I got SUPER excited to see this video on my RU-vid home page and I immediately clicked on it. Can't wait for more amazing content! Keep up the good work, Thom!

"Now: BOARDING" Ah yes, as the train is already leaving the station...they a little confused but they got the spirit! Here's some info on why Michigan is known as the Wolverine State: The wolverine has never been officially adopted as the state animal! And they currently aren't found in Michigan either (only ONE wild wolverine was found in Michigan in 2004, and it died in 2010). They're now found around the Arctic, but were once more widespread in the US (though people have found legitimate wild wolverines in recent years in the western states). So why are wolverines associated with Michigan? Well, there are a few theories. The most popular origin of the nickname comes from the 1835 Toledo War between Michigan and Ohio. Since a wolverine has a reputation of being ornery, Ohioans called Michiganians “wolverines” as the two sides struggled over who owned the disputed Toledo Strip. Years later, the University of Michigan adopted the wolverine as its school mascot. Another is the trading of wolverine pelts which occurred in Sault St. Marie for many years. The trading station served as an exchange between the Indians and other trappers and fur traders, who would eventually ship the products of to the Eastern US. Because many of the furs were in fact wolverine pelts, traders may have referred to them as "Michigan wolverines".

I can't wait to see these cars on the Blue Water. Last time I rode it from CHI, there was one Venture car on the consist but they had us Port Huron passengers board at the opposite end of the train and I wasn't sure if they'd get mad at me for sitting in the Venture car. I wonder if Amtrak will still have a cafe car when they do finally get them though. It's nice to board at 5am, get a little nap and then have a little hot breakfast sandwich and coffee when you wake up.

I went from Chicago to Springfield Illinois in this Venture cars in the Lincoln Service and was really really nice. I wasn't expecting this type of cars in the Amtrak fleet, very comfortable seat and huge batch bathrooms, with a very new fresh look. Thanks you once again for sharing all these features, on the Amtrak services.

Can’t wait to ride these to Columbus Indiana to see my grandma when they start running the new trains to Louisville!

Glad to see they finally got the signs working!

What a awesome, unexpected surprise!!! And it was great to see Lindsey again!!! What a wonderful video and review, thank you!!!

I rode the Venture cars on Brightline recently from Orlando to Miami. The seats looked uncomfortable and recline seemed laughable but I notice I was comfortable and somehow slept well and finished the trip refreshed. I imagine the seats are engineered in some special way.

Those automated announcements are amazing

7:55 Dowagiac has not been cut from the schedule. It's always been a station that not every Wolverine/Blue Water train stops at (been riding the Wolverine occasionally since 2013). It looks like the current trains that stop there are both Blue Waters and the 350/355 Wolverines.

i really love Kazoo. there was my first travel in train abroad my country (chicago-Kzoo) greetings from Chile.

Nice vlog of riding in an Amtrak Midwest Siemens Venture business class car. I think it looks really cool. I know Amtrak San Joaquins will be getting these Siemens Venture cars to, with an engine on one end and a cab car at the other. I honestly wish the Amtrak Pacifc Surfliner route and routes similar that haven't ordered these cars yet would get these cars as well because they are so cool, in my opinion. I really like the restrooms on the Siemens Venture cars and the translucent shades instead of curtains, I hope more Amtrak rolling stock has translucent shades in the future. It is a shame that the Next Generation Bi-Level Passenger Cars were canceled in my opinion due to a prototype car failing a buff strength test in August 2015. But the Siemens Venture cars are awesome, too.

Wow Thom that was simply awesome. I think we all have been waiting in anticipation to finally see the new Business Class in operation. Whilst you might pay more for the experience, from what you described it appears that this class does offer some improved features from Coach. It was refreshing to see that the screens were finally working & displaying relevant information. This is a major innovation & the toilets look fantastic. Now for the new Cafe cars! Thank you for your candid comments & for sharing this Thom. I look forward to your next awesome train adventure.

Hi Tom, it's nice to see a nice modern looking train for the US market!

Finally I been waiting for update about how the new Amtrak business class cars are!

Venture! 👍🏽 Can’t wait to get on one!!!

How lucky! I've yet to ride the Wolverine with Ventures, but my dad rode in them recently and he was impressed! As a wheelchair-bound person, I do look forward to taking advantage of the wider aisles and larger bathrooms whenever I happen to ride next!

Trains Are Awesome is awesome. Very interesting and informative video; it definitely kept up with the high standards of the railfanning videos produced by Thom. I've come to expect comfortable seating on board Amtrak trains ever since my first trip on Amtrak way back, in 1982 on board the Coast Starlight from Richmond, California to Seattle, Washington-- I was astounded by the ample leg room and comfortable seat.

For Amtrak Long Distance Car replacement, I actually made up an Amtrak Long Distance Car called the Siemens MultiLiner, which will replace the Superliners and Amfleet 2 cars. The MultiLiner will have the same door layout as the Stadler KISS EMUs in San Francisco, to also be used in Northeast, where Stations have High-Platforms, but also on the existing Superliner routes around the USA with low platforms. But the height of the MultiLiner will have to be slightly shorter than the Superliners, so the trains will fit through NYC tunnels. Yep, it would basically have a Mid-level section, unlike the Superliners Also, I think if these cars would enter service, all of Amtrak's Intercity routes will be single level, and the ENTIRETY of Amtrak's Long Distance Routes will be Bi-Level. And I speculate if these MultiLiner Cars will enter service, I think some of those Viewliner 2 cars would also be converted into Crew Dormitory, or Baggage Cars if the MultLiner cars enter service at all, since there will be sleeper car variants of the MultiLiner that there is simply no need for a Sleeper Viewliner to even exist. The only purpose the Viewliners might serve are Baggage or Crew Dormitory cars. There would be Coach Cars, Sleeper Car, Cafe and Dining Cars, and Lounge Car variants of the MultiLiner built. This is the type of car Amtrak should use to replace all of the Long Distance Train Cars, the Superliners, the Amfleet 2s and Some of the Viewliners as well. As for the roomettes on the new Siemens MultiLiner Cars, they should also be HIGH-TECH with outdoor 360 panoramic cameras attached to the cars and train info/entertainment/camera view Screens in each Room/Roomette, and modern LED and mood lighting tech as well. Amtrak should also offer streaming Movies/Music on Demand on Long Distance Trains with no screens in rooms (Most Especially with the Viewliner, Amfleet and Superliner trains), as well as streaming the camera views and train info to your device (Similar to domestic airlines). Amtrak should install view cameras on their older long distance train cars as well.

My favorite thing about riding trains in the USA is because of something like 6:31 where I can hear the horn and watch the scenery fly by

I remember riding Amtrak back in the 1970's when the bathrooms still had spittoons. True story, so it's always nice to see Amtrak get something new and nice.

My wife and I took the Blue Water from Chicago to Niles on 5/6/23 and Niles to Chicago on 5/16/23, both times in Coach. We were on the older car on 5/6 and the new Venture car on 5/16. I love the bright, new look of the Venture car. The overhead signage is beautiful and easy to read. The announcements through the speakers are crystal clear. I like the full-window doors between cars and the bathroom is pretty nice and roomy for a train. We saw the button to push the seat bottom forward, but until I saw this video I had no idea what the button was for. We pressed the button, but nothing happened. An image near the button that shows the seat cushion should move forward would have been nice. I like that the overhead shelf is partly clear, so we can look up and see our items. On the downside, I thought the seats were far less comfortable than on the older train car (and we went only to Niles). Now if only Amtrak had new cars to replace the Superliners we took from Los Angeles to Chicago and Chicago to Emeryville, I'd be really happy! The bathroom on the original Superliner I car is so tiny that Santa Claus couldn't turn around inside it. Overall, however, I like the new Venture cars.

Thanks for doing an unexpected review! I am a frequent traveler on the Illini and Saluki Amtrak trains down to Carbondale, so I am looking forward to seeing the Venture Cars eventually.... For now, been enjoying my "business class" on the Super Liner Trains. Great Video!

I'm in Michigan. This is super helpful. I see a trip to Chicago in my future. Thank you.

Tom you always do a great job on your filming and reporting of your rail journies and I always look forward for your next video! Robert Cook Portland Oregon

Thank you for the video Thom! I am impressed with the quality of the new Amtrak Venture Cars! The business class seats look really comfortable and modern. On par with some UK first class seats! The onboard announcements are clear and legible! Glad you and Lindsey enjoyed your trip 🙂

Hey Thom, it's a great week for videos on your channel this week and I'm loving it! It's really nice to get a good look inside the Venture business class too, they look pretty good to me, especially the window size and power provision relative to the filleted airplanes on wheels, aka Amfleet. It struck me as really odd that they don't have carpet on the floor, I hadn't expected to find that odd. I guess that the Railjets they're based on don't have it either, but from a UK, French and German long-distance perspective it struck me as unusual. All in all, though, I definitely like them. Take care, Chris

I took the Hiawatha a couple of weeks ago for a business trip and the Venture cars were deployed in the consist with the Horizon coaches. I managed to snag a seat in a Venture car and the ride was a lot smoother than the Horizon cars I am used to especially when the train switches tracks at high speed. There was hardly any heavy vibration. Although, the automatic steps were malfunctioning so we had to get off of a Horizon car. It's also interesting that they turned on the automated announcements now. My train ride didn't have those enabled yet.

I thought for sure that I could say that I’ve seen the first Amtrak train in history on video with only Siemens equipment, but it looked like there was a Amfleet

Now once this gets put on the NEC its gonna be a game changer

I was fortunate to see the Seimens Cars completed for the Mid-West lines as well as cars for the San Jauquins which were waiting to be delivered.

looking forward to your adventure 1!

Hi Thom! My best to Mrs. Awesome!

These trains look great!

Looks clean and modern. Can't wait for these to be rolled out in more places

*THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT OPPORTUNITY WITH US! I sincerely felt like I was there. You just earned one more subscriber to your channel.*

I never rode those cars on Amtrak but I did ride it on Brightline. I had a comfortable ride in them. Though it was only on the quick ride from Fort Lauderdale to Miami.

Thom, i watched this again and I just noticed that when you talk about the new tray tables your laptop shows a classic tray table. Well done!

Very nice! Thanks! It is a mystery WHY the seats look so stiff and very upright, but those are otherwise very nice wide seats with a large tray table. Good job!

I wish Amtrak Midwest would extend to the Upper Midwest. The only train currently serving this region is the Empire Builder and according to reports, the ride from MSP to Chicago is 8 hours or so. Love those new Amtrak Venture Cars. Thank You Thom for another awesome video.

This is the first video review I’ve seen of the new Amtrak coaches. It’s always interesting to see what North America has to offer passengers compared to the U.K. and Europe.

Oh my GOD I love your 6:02 新幹線E6系 shirt😂😂

Nice presentation of the new car. With the blue seats it looks like NS trains. 👋

When they said "next stop" in Niles, I automatically said "Dowagiac". You got me!

Thank you for this excellent video. Good to hear that Business Class in the new Adventure cars is worth the additional cost over Coach. I see your train had a Amfleet cafe car, and wonder when there will be an Adventure equivalent. Looking forward to your next ride !

nice to meet you tom

I wanted to revisit this video since I had just recently been on the Wolverine for the first time myself, as well as been on the venture cars for the first time as well. I have to say that I'm pretty much a fan of the venture cars as well. I too had a coach class ticket and they let me sit in the business class car due to overflow from coach. It was a win! The seats were really comfortable to me and I loved the modern interior aspects of it as well. I align with your thoughts on them!

those areas seem so nice

… “Still breaking them in” is probably a good reason as to why I’m still not quite a fan of the new cars yet, though I don’t think I knew about how “recline” works in them before this video. Still didn’t prevent me from managing to sleep very well in both directions on my last 300/301 turn, but that was a no hotel run cuz I didn’t want to mess with a hotel cuz I was being cheap and running mostly on caffeine when I didn’t feel I could safely sleep 😅 … I’d probably also appreciate the new tables more if I had a laptop at the moment heh.

Very nice train! I hope the Crescent line will have them.

Hi Thom, I love your channel! At the end of this video, I heard you say "You would not take business class again due to your budget". Well, if you wanted to take business class again, I will give you an upgrade coupon. Stay Great!

I hope I get either one of these or the coach class when I go to Chicago or Kansas City next time

I lucked on those seats as well when riding the Lincoln Service to Normal last Friday!! They’re pretty dope

Siemens is on a roll with cutting edge Amtrak Railroad Technology. Those Siemens Venture Businesses class seats are amazing! It reminds me of the amazing Siemens Venture cars the Brightline trains have been 2 Siemens SCB Chargers. I can’t wait for Brightlines Orlando extension to open despite the delay.

I'll be traveling on this route in two weeks I'm exited

Business class are bit comfortable and expensive! Economic are some cheaper, Amtrak is always the best in passenger service Nice video 👍

I have been on the Lake Shore Limited and I can agree with your bathroom comment.

This video is right on track, Thom!

Nice video. Nice train. Back to the MBTA train in Boston. I thought I would be taking it next month, but my ex told me about the Blue Apple bus that goes from Logan Airport to Mansfield. It’s $44 round trip. It sounds perfect, so I chickened out taking the train 🫤

I was amazed at how much of this ride is surrounded by forest. You go like 20 mins out of chicago and you are surrounded by trees.

Your Train Videos are awesome an very cool,I watched a few of them so you di a fantastic Jon.On your video I like how you give detail information and location and description too. I subscribed too your channel today,keep you the great cooler videos Thom cheers 100% job well done 👍

Hi Thom and Lindsey! Great video-I would like to take that Wolverine car! You give me hope about Amtrak(DC from HR Block!)!

Very nice ! I think you like trains.

I remember riding the Lincoln Service from Bloomington-Normal to Chicago when I went home from college for breaks. I only rode in the Amfleet coach cars, and only 1 year later did they roll out the new ones on that route (which I didn't get to ride because I continued online). $16 for a 2 hour ticket felt like an absolute steal. Saved 2 hours for my mom not needing to drive down. And a 4 hour round trip ride was not happening on $16 worth of gas. At this point I'm antsy for an excuse to buy a ticket and ride one of the new Venture cars.

Well maybe I am beginning to warm up to these new Venture Cars just a bit. Hopefully Amtrak can get more of these cars into service and aid in some of the sold out and nearly sold out trains. Very different to hear a recording and not the conductor thought a bad mic making amendments.

hopefully the lights can be set dimmer. These lights are a lot brighter than what’s found on Amfleet, and some people can find it too bright

Tom @ 9:03 this is a small subdivision that my parents lived in right after getting married back in the seventies!

Awesome Thom! Just like Brightline coaches here in South Florida

you're lucky! here on the NEC, we have to wait a few years before we get to try them out! Waaaa!😪

Thom, thanks again for another interesting video.

You two are adorable 🤓♥️

5:53 LOL that man has NO right to be complaining. The seats on the new UK trains are LITERALLY ROCKS compared to these lol. Check out the GWR class 800 IET seats!

Great video from Paul Castillo 👍😁

6:53 neat, idk other mainline trainsets with such open gangways

I enjoyed that video👍👍

Awesome video! I have rode the Brightline Siemens coaches, which I am sure you know are a similar, but more decked out version of these venture cars. I feel as if they are awesome cars, and new rolling stock is needed by Amtrak. Im from just south of Cleveland Ohio, so maybe these will be within reach for me soon. I'm wondering how well these do on longer trips. I'm sure we will find out soon enough. I'm an all mode travel junkie. Planes, trains, automobiles and boats too! Love the content! Love your enthusiasm for passenger rail! Keep up the good content!

Trains between Chicago and Saint Louis can hit 110mph now

These look great. Love the big windows and the roomier interiors and those business class seats look pretty solid. How's the ride quality compared to Amfleet I or IIs at the higher speeds like 110mph?

Hmmm, I might need to check out Business Class then

Questions probably buried in the comments but 1. How was the WiFi/Cell service in the cars. I see you using the laptop, but could be in local node. Nowadays WiFi is a necessity, especially for business passengers. Gotta use that travel time productively. 2. Did they attach a cafe car to the consist. Both my wife and I are diabetic and hypertensive so small meals and regular sips of water are a necessity (many drugs are diuretic and will dry you out if you don't keep sipping). While we can carry these items if we know in advance, it's very convenient to purchase them as we go so we have less to carry. I don't even mind Amtrak prices for these. Thank you for the review. I definitely like the electronic signage in the cars. While the announcements sounded clear enough, that's not always true on every train or metro car, so electronic signage to let you keep track of next station announcements as well as train status is a very good innovation to see. Glad to see Amtrak is slowly catching up to European & Asian standards.

Those cars are really nice, and very european (the 'european' thing seems to be a strong tendence in Amtrak). They seem to been based on the Railjet design. Another nice thing is the constant use of the Nathan horn (otsa grade crossings I know).

Nice video

I'm curious what your thoughts on the automated announcements are! I rode with them on the Wolverine recently and I found them honestly really annoying, especially since you're hearing the same courtesy announcements over and over again at every single station.

6:00 🥰👌

My theory: the Ventura cars are mainly hated because they have german/european roots (since they are based on a model made for the ÖBB (austrian state railway). Same reason many ppl in the USA keep on hating on the SC-44 and ACS-64.

Amtrak trains are getting better and cooler than what they used to be in the past.

I love train travel and this was fun and interesting to watch. Quick question= I get dizzy if I am not facing in the direction the train is going. Is there any way of knowing ahead of time about this? Do these new trains have seats that can be adjusted to face the direction the train is moving towards? This is my first time at your site. Liked it a lot. Thanks for sharing your train travels.

Did not know the venture cars had automated announcements

l'll always love STAlNLESS STEEL DOUBLE DECK COACHES [which is beigns made in USA], GE GENESlS P42 & F59PHl & First Gen ACELA & AEM7 Power Cars..

Amtrak needs to start treating Union Station as a transport hub -- not as part convention center, part cattle corral. As for the new business class seats, while the seats themselves look quite nice and the bathrooms are a clear upgrade, they're going to regret the lack of sound-deadening material in the cabin. Amtrak's 1970s and 1980s thing of carpeting every interior wall still has merit.

3:13 Other Amtrak Train leaving Chicago Union Station together with Wolverine Train

It just occurred to me that if the business class car is a married pair with a coach. Then the cafe cars will be independent?? It will be interesting not having business separated by a cafe.