Joe Boardman, Amtrak president & CEO and Michael Cahill, president of Siemens Rail Systems division in the U.S. stand with one of the new Amtrak Cities Sprinter locomotives.
The first of 70 new electric locomotives from Siemens are rolling off the assembly line in Sacramento, Calif.. The first units of the $466 million order will be field tested this summer for entry into service in the fall.
“The new Amtrak locomotives will help power the economic future of the Northeast region, provide more reliable and efficient service for passengers and support the rebirth of rail manufacturing in America,” said Amtrak CEO Joseph Boardman. “Built on the West Coast for service in the Northeast with suppliers from many states, businesses and workers from across the country are helping to modernize the locomotive fleet of America’s Railroad.”
The Amtrak Cities Sprinter (ACS- 64) locomotives are being assembled in Siemens’ Sacramento, rail manufacturing plant powered by renewable energy, with parts built from its plants in Norwood, Ohio, Alpharetta, Ga., and Richland, Miss. Nearly 70 suppliers, representing more than 60 cities and 23 states are also represented.
The new locomotives will operate on Northeast Regional trains at speeds up to 125 mph on the Northeast Corridor that passes through Wilmington and on Keystone Service trains at speeds up to 110 mph from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, Pa. Amtrak employs more than 1,000 in Delaware.
In addition, all long-distance trains operating on the corridor will be powered by the new locomotives.
The new locomotives are designed for easier maintenance, will improve energy efficiency by using a regenerative braking system that will feed energy back into the power grid.
The first three locomotives will undergo a comprehensive testing program this summer, including two at a U.S. Department of Transportation facility in Pueblo, Colo., and one on the NEC. Once they are commissioned, production of the remaining units will ramp up for monthly delivery through 2016.
The new locomotives are part of a comprehensive plan to modernize and expand equipment. The new units will replace electric locomotives with between 25 and 35 years of service and average mileage of more than 3.5 million miles traveled, with some approaching 4.5 million miles.
The first of 70 new electric locomotives from Siemens are rolling off the assembly line in Sacramento, Calif.. The first units of the $466 million order will be field tested this summer for entry into service in the fall.
