Brand USA is promoting rail travel ahead of the United States’ railroad bicentennial in 2027, highlighting long-distance routes, heritage trains and railway-themed accommodation for international visitors.
The destination marketing organisation is encouraging travellers to build itineraries around established rail journeys and newer passenger services, with anniversary exhibitions and attractions adding reasons to visit.
“The 2027 bicentennial is a timely invitation for travellers to slow down, look out the window, and take in the unique beauty of the USA mile by mile,” said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of Brand USA.
Railways have long connected America’s cities, small towns and the vast landscapes between them. Two centuries on, they offer travellers a new kind of connection: to the country’s history, the people who shaped it and the communities keeping those stories alive.
New trains and services
Amtrak’s new Airo trains entered service on the Cascades corridor in September 2026, serving cities including Seattle and Portland, with additional trainsets due to follow through early 2027. Its Mardi Gras Service links New Orleans with Mobile, Alabama, allowing visitors to extend city stays into the Gulf Coast.
Scenic long-distance journeys
Brand USA highlights the California Zephyr between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area, the Coast Starlight between Seattle and Los Angeles, and the Empire Builder between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest. Canyon Spirit’s daylight-only, multiday journeys offer another option for exploring the American West.
Amtrak’s Southwest Chief connects Chicago and Los Angeles, stopping at Route 66 destinations including Albuquerque and Flagstaff. Parts of the railway run alongside the historic highway, offering a rail alternative for exploring some of its best-known stops.
Museums and heritage railways
Baltimore’s National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation, formerly the B&O Railroad Museum, plans bicentennial exhibitions and programming, with a new Innovation Hall scheduled to open in January 2027. The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg is also scheduled to open an accessible Roundhouse in early 2027, displaying six historic steam locomotives.
Heritage journeys include Colorado’s Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, which crosses the Colorado–New Mexico border.
Railway-themed accommodation
Hotel Chalet at The Choo Choo in Chattanooga offers stays in restored Pullman carriages, while Denver’s Crawford Hotel has Pullman-style rooms within Union Station. Salt Lake City’s Asher Adams hotel occupies the former Union Pacific Depot, providing another way to incorporate railway heritage into an itinerary.