USA: Amtrak has placed a firm order for Siemens Mobility to supply a further 50 Charger locomotives.
The order announced on June 23 has been placed as an option on a $850m contract awarded in December 2018. This covered an initial 75 locomotives and 20 years of technical support, spare parts and materials, with options for additional locos which would take the total value to $2bn.
The 200 km/h ALC-42 (Amtrak Long-distance Charger, 4 200 hp) locos are being manufactured at Siemens Mobility’s plant at Sacramento in California, with Cummins supplying the Tier 4 complaint QSK95 diesel engines from Seymour, Indiana.
The latest locos will primarily replace P40 and P42 types.
The first of the initial batch entered service on the Chicago – Portland/Seattle Empire Builder route in February, with the next route to be transferred being the City of New Orleans between Louisiana and Chicago.
