Siemens has won a new contract worth €165m for the supply of 32 diesel-electric passenger locomotives from the Departments of Transportation for the US states of Illinois, California, Michigan, Missouri and Washington.
The scope of the contract also includes a purchase option for another 225 locomotives which will be used for regional and mainline trains traveling at speeds of up to 200 kmph.
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The Charger locomotives will be delivered between the third quarter of 2016 and mid-2017, and will be used exclusively in passenger service.
The diesel-electric locomotives will be produced at the Siemens plant in Sacramento, California.
The primary traction drive, a 4,400hp diesel engine with 16 cylinders and a cubic capacity of 95l, will be manufactured in the US by Cummins.
The locomotive reaches a tractive effort on starting of 290 kN with a weight of around 120t.
Siemens Rail Systems Division CEO Jochen Eickholt said: "For Siemens, this order marks our entry into the US diesel-electric locomotive market, and strongly underscores our long-term vision for the US passenger rail market."
The locomotives are compliant with the Federal Railroad’s EPA Tier IV regulation required to be in place in 2015 and are technically based on the Siemens Eurosprinter, Eurorunner and Vectron locomotive platforms which have been in operation with both freight and passenger services.
The Illinois Department of Transportation is coordinating the order on behalf of California, Michigan, Missouri and Washington, and announced plans to move forward on the order with Siemens in December, 2013.
Image: The Charger locomotives will be used exclusively in passenger service. Photo: courtesy of Siemens AG
