A bilevel intercity passenger car used by Amtrak for long-distance travel, primarily in the Western United States. The Superliner is designed to offer more seating and comfort on extended journeys, featuring two levels of seating, with the upper level providing panoramic windows for scenic views. The design of the Superliner was inspired by the Santa Fe Railway's Budd Hi-Level cars used on the El Capitan. There are two versions: Superliner I (built by Pullman-Standard between 1975 and 1981) and Superliner II (built by Bombardier Transportation between 1991 and 1996). Notably, the Superliner I cars were the last passenger cars constructed by Pullman. The coaches are used in routes like the Auto Train, California Zephyr, Capitol Limited, City of New Orleans, Coast Starlight, Empire Builder, Heartland Flyer, Pere Marquette, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited, and Texas Eagle. Superliners cannot run on the Northeast Corridor due to their height (16ft), that’s why intercity/long haul trains from the N.E Corridor uses the single level Amfleets and Viewliner cars.
“My Amtrak Experience on the California Zephyr was awesome, It was just Two hours late due to freight traffic but I didn’t mind about that, the train staff were nice, the food was delicious and best of all I get to see the most sceneric views on the route on the Superliner observation car”
by EMD F59PHI January 15, 2025