Improved performance and reliability for Northeast passenger rail services

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of a comprehensive plan to modernize and expand its fleet of equipment, Amtrak is buying 70 new electric locomotives to provide improved performance and reliability for its Northeast intercity passenger rail services.  The six-year, $466 million contract was awarded to Siemens and will create 250 jobs primarily at a facility in Sacramento, California, but also at plants in Norwood, Ohio and Alpharetta, Georgia.

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"Amtrak is a critical transportation provider in the Northeast and modern locomotives are essential to meet the service reliability expectations of our passengers and for us to handle the growing ridership demand in the coming years," said President and CEO Joseph Boardman.

Boardman explained the first Amtrak Cities Sprinter ACS-64 electric locomotive is to be delivered in February 2013 and will operate at speeds up to 125 mph (201 kph) on the Northeast Corridor from Washington, D.C. to Boston and up to 110 mph (177 kph) on the Keystone Corridor from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, Pa.  They will replace locomotives in service between 20 and 30 years with average mileage of 3.5 million miles traveled.

"Amtrak's order for 70 new electric locomotives will not only create new manufacturing jobs, it supports the Department of Transportation's strategy to use transportation to build the infrastructure needed to support a modern growing economy, while helping make our cities more livable, improve the environment and reduce our dependence on foreign oil," said Joseph C. Szabo, Federal Railroad Administrator.  "This new equipment will go far in meeting the rapidly growing demand for intercity passenger rail service in the Northeast."

"As the global leader in rail innovation, we are thrilled that Amtrak has selected our proven locomotive technology which will create 250 green manufacturing jobs in the United States," said Daryl Dulaney, president and CEO, Siemens Industry, Inc.  "These locomotives will ATK-10-141 be built in America using renewable energy and provide cleaner, more efficient movement of people on the most heavily traveled rail route in the country."

The new Amtrak locomotive meets the latest federal safety regulations and includes additional safety features not yet required such as crash energy management components like anti-climbing technology and push-back couplers designed to keep the train upright, inline and on the tracks in the event of a collision.  The design also allows for easier maintenance leading to faster turn around times and increased availability of locomotives for service.

In addition, the new locomotives will be more energy efficient and will replace older units that presently do not have regenerative braking systems that can automatically return electricity to the power grid.

As the new units come into service, Amtrak plans first to retire all current 20 DC AEM-7 electric locomotives in its fleet, followed by replacement of all 29 AC AEM-7 units.  The remaining 21 locomotives of the order will be used to replace all 15 HHP-8 locomotives with the additional units supporting anticipated service expansion.

Boardman added in February 2010 Amtrak released an ambitious, long-term Fleet Strategy Plan to replace aging and outdated locomotives and passenger cars in order to enhance operations, attract more riders, reduce maintenance costs and delays, improve on-time performance and expand services on current and new routes.  The report lays out the basis for recapitalizing the entire fleet over a period of time in a manner that will not only provide new and modern equipment for passengers, but will also develop and sustain the domestic production capacity needed for the long term viability of intercity passenger rail in the United States.

The new 70 electric locomotives are a key element of that plan and is the second major equipment procurement undertaken since July 2010 when Amtrak announced the award of a $298 million contract to build 130 single-level passenger rail cars to support growing ridership on its long-distance trains.

About Amtrak

As the nation's intercity passenger rail operator, Amtrak connects America in safer, greener and healthier ways. Last fiscal year (FY 2010), the railroad carried over 28.7 million passengers, making it the best year in the company's history. With 21,000 route miles in 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian provinces, Amtrak operates more than 300 trains each day—at speeds up to 150 mph (241 kph)—to more than 500 destinations. Amtrak also is the partner of choice for state-supported corridor services in 15 states and for several commuter rail agencies. Visit Amtrak.com or call 800-USA-RAIL for schedules, fares and more information.

About Siemens

Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, and operates in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors.  For more than 160 years, Siemens has built a reputation for leading-edge  innovation  and  the  quality  of  its  products,  services  and solutions.  With 405,000 employees in 190 countries, Siemens reported worldwide revenue of $104.3 billion in fiscal 2009.  Siemens in the USA reported revenue of $21.3 billion and employs approximately 64,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico.  For more information on Siemens in the United States, visit www.usa.siemens.com.

A division of Siemens Industry, Inc. (SII), Siemens Mobility (MO) Division is North America's leading  provider  of  transportation  and  logistics  solutions.  Using  its  "Complete  mobility" approach, the division focuses on networking various modes of transportation to maximize the most efficient transport of  people and goods. "Complete mobility" includes operations control systems  for  railways,  roadway  traffic  control   systems,  airport  logistics  solutions,  postal automation,  traction  power  supplies,  rolling  stock  for  mass  transit,  regional  and  mainline services, turnkey systems as well as forward-looking service concepts. The Mobility Division posted worldwide revenues of $8.8 billion in fiscal year 2009. www.usa.siemens.com/mobility

SOURCE Amtrak