Passenger Trains > Amtrak selects Siemens

https://media.amtrak.com/2021/04/amtrak-announces-siemens-as-preferred-bidder-for-new-equipment/?fbclid=IwAR0R9lhBKu2KQ6J3u-JEJrldyLgy-OWYoRGNg78pYRT_D_9bVhj19or2Xng

Thanks for the heads up.

From Amtrak:

After a competitive procurement launched in January of 2019, Amtrak has identified California-based Siemens Mobility Inc. (Siemens) as the preferred bidder to manufacture a new fleet of 83 Intercity Trainsets (ICTs), which will provide dual power in many instances and modern rail amenities to better serve all Amtrak customers. The ICTs will operate on the Northeast Corridor, [i]Palmetto[/i] and various state-supported routes and will replace the current Amfleet I, Metroliner cab and [i]Cascades[/i] service fleets. Accompanying the contract to manufacture the trainsets will be a long-term service agreement for technical support, spares and material supply.

(more at the link in the first post)

Those of us in the Midwest still can't ride the new Seimens cars that have been sitting in Chicago for over 7 months.

kbmiflyer Wrote:
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> Those of us in the Midwest still can't ride the
> new Seimens cars that have been sitting in Chicago
> for over 7 months.

I mean, crew training in the middle of a pandemic with brand new equipment would delay a rollout.... 

So what does Amtrak consider an Intercity Train Set?   Four coaches and food/lounge car?  Will they be permanently coupled?  I am assuming can be hauled by either diesel or electric?

Wonder how many seats are 83 trainsets?  Will this add capacity or just replace capacity?  Wonder how flexible it will be to add cars to these trainsets' for peak periods?  Of if Amtrak plans on flattening the peak with fewer seats but higher fares?  Also wonder if any of the Amfeet cars can be refurbished and re-purposed?  The metroliner cars will be 60 years old when these sets start coming out.  I would think many of the Amfleet cars can last another 20 years with proper maintenance.  Now let's see an order for long distance equipment!

 

Palmetto, and I assume Pennsylvanian, Maple Leaf, and Adirondack, means 22 Amfleet-2 get freed up too. 

The California cars have been sitting in the Stockton yards for going on 1 year! Siemens Quality is not what it once was.
kbmiflyer Wrote:
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> Those of us in the Midwest still can't ride the
> new Seimens cars that have been sitting in Chicago
> for over 7 months.

Any word on any planned replacements for the aging superliners used on the national long distance network?
 

Cumbresfan Wrote:
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> Any word on any planned replacements for the aging
> superliners used on the national long distance
> network?
>  


They plan to rebuild the Superliners and keep them forever as VIA did with the Budd equipment.

Good news -- but. as usual, Amtrak's announcements raise more questions than they answer.  for example.

. What is a "Preferred Bidder?  Not the same as "Winning Bidder" to me.

.  83 "Train-sets" equals how many COACHES?  (if 6 cars each, it would mean 498 cars--which would replace all Amfleet 1's.)

. What dose "Dual Power" mean? -  A "cab car" is not dual  power to ,me.. (only the Empire trains have "Dual Power" now.)

. And finally -- what is a "modern Rail Amenity"?

(I'm guessing they mean, they want to order 400+ "Bright line" coaches and some will have cab-cars.) 

This is indeed great news. I have a feeling that this will reduce usage of trains having to loop around Sunnyside Yard and Ivy City. Those Amfleet Is and Ex-Metroliner Cab Cars have been around for a very long time and certainly deserve a good retirement. I wouldn't be surprised if Amtrak piggybacks off of VIA Rail for their corridor service trainsets.

Passfanatic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is indeed great news. I have a feeling that
> this will reduce usage of trains having to loop
> around Sunnyside Yard and Ivy City. Those Amfleet
> Is and Ex-Metroliner Cab Cars have been around for
> a very long time and certainly deserve a good
> retirement. I wouldn't be surprised if Amtrak
> piggybacks off of VIA Rail for their corridor
> service trainsets.

What Cafe  Cars too??

Passfanatic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is indeed great news. I have a feeling that
> this will reduce usage of trains having to loop
> around Sunnyside Yard and Ivy City. Those Amfleet
> Is and Ex-Metroliner Cab Cars have been around for
> a very long time and certainly deserve a good
> retirement. I wouldn't be surprised if Amtrak
> piggybacks off of VIA Rail for their corridor
> service trainsets.


You mean like VIA Rail did with the Amtrak Midwest cars?

The Siemens cars, currently being manufactured/tested/placed in service, were purchased by the Federal government as part of the stimulus from the 2008-09 recession.  And these cars are owned by the individual states, not Amtrak.   So the states (which I believe are CA, IL, MI, WI, MO) will run the cars on their state supported trains and not have to pay Amtrak for car lease (it would seem).
So what states are going to use these new trainsets and pay Amtrak's lease rates on these cars?  Palmetto is not a state supported train, so that would be a good use.   Empire Service is also an Amtrak service, not state supported.  
Obviousl we won't know the actual numbers, as Amtrak is not very sharing of their costs (detailed breakdowns) for state supported trains.
Tony

Passfanatic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is indeed great news. I have a feeling that
> this will reduce usage of trains having to loop
> around Sunnyside Yard and Ivy City. Those Amfleet
> Is and Ex-Metroliner Cab Cars have been around for
> a very long time and certainly deserve a good
> retirement. I wouldn't be surprised if Amtrak
> piggybacks off of VIA Rail for their corridor
> service trainsets.

Based on what I know of the operations of Penn station (albeit as an outsider [railfan]) I don't believe we'll get rid of looping the trains. They still need to go to the yard to be cleaned and "turned" in the less physical sense. Looping at Sunnyside doesn't add much. Maybe some trains can be short-turned on the platforms and head back out, but most will still head for the yard which by necessity involves a trip around the loop.

Canada alreay have Siemens on orders.

tonymarchiando Wrote:
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> So what states are going to use these new
> trainsets and pay Amtrak's lease rates on these
> cars?  Palmetto is not a state supported train,
> so that would be a good use.   Empire Service is
> also an Amtrak service, not state supported.  

The Empire Service is absolutely state supported, per Amtrak:
https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/corporate/statefactsheets/NEWYORK19.pdf

I  guess the cars were not "shovel ready".

DevalDragon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> tonymarchiando Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > So what states are going to use these new
> > trainsets and pay Amtrak's lease rates on these
> > cars?  Palmetto is not a state supported
> train,
> > so that would be a good use.   Empire Service
> is
> > also an Amtrak service, not state supported.  
>
> The Empire Service is absolutely state supported,
> per Amtrak:
> https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom
> /english/public/documents/corporate/statefactsheet
> s/NEWYORK19.pdf

Furthermore, the consist and marshalling order of the Pennsylvanian and Palmetto are kept identical. In case #90 comes in very late at night, they'll swap in Sunnyside overnight, and 89 will use prior day 42's equipment (and vice versa).  They even keep the baggage car on throughout the cycle, thanks to Penn-DOT (not Amtrak).