USA: Amtrak has selected Siemens Mobility as preferred bidder to supply a fleet of 83 electro-diesel trainsets for use on medium-distance inter-city services in the Northeast Corridor, the Cascades corridor in the Pacific Northwest and on various state-supported routes.
The selection announced on April 21 is the latest stage in a procurement process that began in January 2019, under which Amtrak is initially planning to replace its fleet of 492 Amfleet I coaches dating from 1975-77, the older Metroliner driving cars and the now-withdrawn Talgo vehicles used on Cascades services between Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. Amtrak expects to sign a formal contract with Siemens by mid-summer.
To be branded Intercity Trainsets, the new trains ‘will provide dual power in many instances and modern rail amenities to better serve all Amtrak customers’, according to the national passenger rail corporation. Accompanying the contract to manufacture the trainsets will be a long-term service agreement for maintenance and provision of spares.
‘This new state-of-the-art equipment will not only provide Amtrak customers with an enjoyable and efficient travel experience, it will also enable us to improve safety, increase passenger capacity and reduce carbon emissions’, commented Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn.
