Amtrak has commissioned Siemens to build 70 Cities Sprinter ACS-64 electric locomotives for use in the U.S. Northeast Corridor. Operating at speeds over 100mph, the locomotives also boast many safety upgrades as well.
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Amtrak and Siemens Bringing Electric Locomotives to US
- Thread starter John_Keck
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Title is somewhat misleading..They've been running electric locomotives on the Northeast Corridor since at least 1912. Amtrak runs mostly electric locomotives on the NE corridor, using EMD AEM-7s and Bombardier HHP8s.
IMO they should've gone with Bombardier ALP-46/ALP-46As for the order, which NJT already runs on the NE Corridor. A slightly more proven design.
IMO they should've gone with Bombardier ALP-46/ALP-46As for the order, which NJT already runs on the NE Corridor. A slightly more proven design.
Curious142
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Cool stuff. Still quite a few guys needed, but not as many as before. This video was obviously shot in Europe. I wonder if this equipment is being used in the U.S. Anyway, thanks for the link.
Yeah that video is made in Belgium. Cool stuff indeed, even more impressive to see in real life. Might be different equipment in the US, but similar no doubt. The days of laying tracks by hand are long gone.
piscian18
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I know that the rail system updates were included in the stimulus plan so that may be why were finally making progress. free money = infrastructure updates.
And this country needs It, Unlike what the nay sayers would say.
wra18th
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I'm yet to see Amtrak run a diesel on the corridor. I know we (NJT) do for the B.H. and Raritan lines.
Amtrak engineers do love our ALP46/46As. These locomotives are good work horses. They just need to be maintained properly and they'll last a long time. Next up for us are the ALP45DPs due in March 2011. No telling how these will turn out as we are the first to get them.
wra18th
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Not passenger locomotives. Especially electric locomotives. GE and EMD won't look at us for less than 300 units. The last passenger locomotive EMD made was a money loser for them. The other 'builders' deal with re-manufactured locomotives. MPI in Boise ID may be able to build a dual mode but they couldn't meet our spec.
Perhaps Siemens provided a better contract. It's a free market after all.
wra18th
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The article mentions that Siemens will employ 250 in 3 different states. If the money is coming from the stimulus fund, they'll have to build them here.
Except for some passenger service in the NEC, Diesel-Electric, Although for HSR It will be all electric at least.
Here in California We're in the early stages of HSR development, planning ROW, Doing a few essential projects, Getting Federal funding, We got $2.25 Billion and $715 Million recently from the US Government and the Nimbys said that would never happen, Which is not expected to come all at once, But some nay sayers think It is necessary to get all funding up front or It's an unworkable Boondoggle and that HSR is not profitable anywhere(Asia or Europe), Some communities City Councils like Palo Alto, Atherton and Menlo Park(Meg Whitman lives in Atherton, She's a Super Rich Nimby) have sued to stop HSR preferring more freeway expansion at any cost, Of course they lost, But then their just Nimbys, Rich snobs ones at that. Oh and Nimby? In case You don't know It stands for Not In My Back Yard. And of course there's the idea of If It wasn't invented Here, It's a Foreign idea and We don't want It, but 77% of people in California as of 2008 said otherwise.
mynamehere
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Long overdue.
We should have had bullet trains long ago (invented in 1964) so it wouldn't take 3 days coast to coast. Even China has a (world's fastest at that) bullet train.
Also, having passenger and cargo trains share the same rails in the US sucks big time for several reasons.
We should have had bullet trains long ago (invented in 1964) so it wouldn't take 3 days coast to coast. Even China has a (world's fastest at that) bullet train.
Also, having passenger and cargo trains share the same rails in the US sucks big time for several reasons.
Passenger trains usually are, however the US doesn't have many of those. What the US mostly has is cargo trains, and they are all diesel. They actually use electric motors to drive the wheels for a number of reasons, but they have a diesel engine attached to a generator to supply the power.
Most of the trains you see in the US are of that variety. The US has tons of heavy rail, and cargo moves across it in vast amounts (I used to live in Flagstaff and a train goes through there every 15-20 minutes 24 hours a day). It has very little light rail for moving passengers, mostly only localized shit like subways and then only mostly on the east coast.
Jerry Brown has advocated for HSR in California since 1978 and He still does, He may be cheap, But He knows, Freeways reach a point where more expansion just becomes prohibitive, Of course the Nimby's don't care, They crushed HSR after Jerry left His 2nd Term and then It was resurrected in 2008 by the People of California, Republicans in power have drifted off to the far right, Yet the Majority hasn't followed and given them what they desire the most, a real Majority, Hopefully people will vote Yes on 19, 21, 22, 24, 25. Our Prisons are near the breaking point with tons of casual users(19) and there's the under funded State Parks(21), the State robbing local Governments of their money instead of raising taxes on the top 1%(22), then there's the Dark of Night tax cuts on the top 1% of earners that Republicans demanded more than 1 year back to pass a budget(24) And then there's the one for passing a State Budget without a Super Majority(2/3rds) which before 1960 or so didn't exist(25). Yeah I've voted already, I vote by absentee ballot, but then being Disabled now, Makes It harder to get around and of course I collect SSI as I'm unable to work(Supplemental Security Income), I can barely do any housework, Simple things aren't all that easy anymore as I age being disabled doesn't help, But then My income of $845 doesn't go far(It used to be $907 back in 09) and California is an expensive place to live in.
mynamehere
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I'm in the same boat as you being disabled, the sad thing is that my absentee ballot arrived too late to use, so I have to go vote, luckily each party can arrange for transportation (it may only be 3 blocks, but it's a long 3 blocks for me).
I have a car(the A/C still isn't totally repaired yet), I could drive, But I don't like crowds and I can't stand in line, My joints and weight won't allow It as I broke My left leg and dislocated My right hip in 2002(I slipped and fell), My weight went up after that, When I go out and have to go places where a car can't be used or where a cane doesn't help, Like Disneyland, I have to use an electric wheelchair(no matter how much I weighed). My relatives are taking Me soon, I provide security for their stuff as lockers there are usually all rented out and I get to see the relatives(this doesn't always happen, this year is different), Yes I bring My Placard, But then I can't walk too far. I'd never be able to walk 3 blocks, Not all at once at least, My left ankle would react very badly to that as there are screws in the left leg now, Plus I didn't get any rehab after the surgery, It was prescribed, But a For Profit Hospital only Recognized It's own care plans and no elses, So to them I was uninsured and vulnerable, I had no cell phone and I was denied My rights, I was told sign or we do nothing, they let the pain make Me sign, I never paid for It as I signed under duress(I was passively tortured into signing).
mynamehere
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Damn, you got a more raw deal than I did. Hospitals like that should be shut down.
It took a long time for me to get services (for TBI) & went long periods between physical therapy after insurance stopped paying, took years to get pain management & believe it or not...pain meds of all things (got busted up in a head on in '02). My home services staff say that things took longer & were harder to get taken care of than for me than for most, so I really feel bad for you being mistreated like that.
I think we got a little off topic
.
It took a long time for me to get services (for TBI) & went long periods between physical therapy after insurance stopped paying, took years to get pain management & believe it or not...pain meds of all things (got busted up in a head on in '02). My home services staff say that things took longer & were harder to get taken care of than for me than for most, so I really feel bad for you being mistreated like that.
I think we got a little off topic
.MrWizard6600
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lol, if your anything like us, not likely...
Citizen of Vancouver, Host of 2010 Olympics (hurah hurah) here,
We spent uhh, I think the bill was around $6B (deductive logic to get that number, $11B spent total) in transportation upgrades, namely the Richmond-Airport-Vancouver ("RAV") line.
To build the trains themselves, the bid from the local company, entirely Canadian owned and operated, Bombardier, was $2.2B. The bid from the infinitely hard-working South Korean company, Rhotem, was $1.3B. Along with the days of manual track laying, the days of manufacturing are long gone. It's not that "we just cant compete", its that even the concept of competing in manufacturing is gone. The only thing this country is capable of now is raw-materials production and intellectual property generation: we can design em, and we can get the resources to make em, but damned if we can build em.
Strange times.
Well of course you can't compete in manufacturing. Just like the USA you gave it all away to countries that treat their people like garbage. Kick the diabled or otherwise used up to the curb; because there are 10 more waiting to take their place for the same meager wages.
and unsafe working conditions. I'm not a big fan on unions in this day and age, even thought I clearly recognize the good they did in western countries as we emerged as industrial nations, but many of these countries badly need some labor unions to make their working conditions better and level the playing field.
So basically, in the US and Canada, you have:
-4-6 large freight railroads, all running diesels. CSX and Norfolk Southern dominate the Eastern US, with Union Pacific and BNSF dominating the western part of the States. Then there's Canadian Pacific and Canadian National handling Canada.
-A number of smaller regional freight railroads, also running only diesels.
-Amtrak, which handles more or less all interstate passenger operations in the US. They run mostly diesels, except in the Northeast Corridor(Boston-Washington DC), which is mostly electric. Acela, the only high speed rail in America, run on the Northeast Corridor. The locomotive order on this thread is for the NE Corridor, as Amtrak wants to replace a few older locomotives.
-Number of commuter railroads handled by transit agencies. Almost all run diesels, except for a few in the Northeast like NJT and Metro North, which run electrics.
-Those same transit agencies handle subway lines and light rail (streetcars)
-Miscellaneous scenic and tourist railroads. They usually run vintage diesels and maybe a steam locomotive or two.
All the commuter(Light) rail lines out here are Electric, CalTrain and Metro-Link are diesel-electric still, Cat would be nice, But is supposed to be expensive and Metro-Link is dragging their feet on PTC and not wanting to implement It. While CalTrain is still wanting to implement CBOSS, Grade separation and Cat despite the lack of a reliable funding source, What's needed for Transit and HSR in California is a dedicated funding source like the Parks are looking at getting(If Prop 21 gets approved by the voters, It's $18 a year, Tuesday November 2nd is Election Day, Every vote counts and I've already cast My vote).
wra18th
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Yes, Bombardier is all Canadian owned and operated but they built/building our (NJT) locomotives in Germany. Including the upcoming ALP45DP. And that's actually a good thing. Our Multi Level cars (built in Canada) left a lot to be desired, such as loose cabling and sub par braking equipment.. Many design modifications were required. Mostly electrical, though. The locomotives built in Germany mostly required just software tweaks.
Rhotem isn't really proven yet here in North America, so we don't know how good of a carbuilder they are. They've won a contract in Boston for some double deckers and they're also building Silverliners for SEPTA down in Philly, but their quality isn't really known that well since they seem to be a fairly new entry into North America.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries(Japan) though might be the one you're referring to. They are awesome. They build a good portion of New York's subway cars with no significant lemons. They also built Boston's first double deckers commuter railroad cars, and overall, it's been a reliable, well proven fleet that provides excellent service. Other than that, they built most of Japan's Shinkansen sets. I'm not aware of any lemons coming from them.
I'm a Bostonian BTW.