TRE now operates three types of equipment. First, of course, are the Budd Cars, of which it owns thirteen. Then it has four bi-level cars, of which three are on our train. As a result, Amtrak is lending TRE a trainset made up of Amfleet I cars, apparently taken from equipment formerly used on the Pacific Surfliner route in California and now no longer required there due to the arrival of the new Surfliner equipment. Entry is on the lower level, and at each end of the car there is an intermediate level that connects to the next car.
Passengers reach the upper level by stairways that connect to the intermediate level.
The seats are in facing pairs, and some seat pairs have small tables between them. The seats are very comfortable if no one is sitting opposite you, but if you have to sit opposite someone else, your legroom is rather limited. The cars are painted on the outside in an unusual red, white and blue scheme which features a large white star against a blue background, which, I think, is the state symbol of Texas. One annoying feature is that the design also covers the windows with a grid of small circles. This somewhat interferes with your view out the windows, but you can still see reasonably well, and there isn't all that much to see along the route, anyway.