Fuel-efficient, eco-friendly trains are now serving Amtrak routes throughout the Midwest.
Purchased with $216.5 million in federal funding, these new locomotives cut emissions by roughly 90 percent and reduce fuel consumption by about two-thirds compared with the previous fleet.
Built by Siemens Mobility in California, the 33 new Charger locomotives offer a noticeably smoother ride, higher top speeds and upgraded safety systems. They operate on routes departing Chicago that travel to destinations across Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri and Michigan, a corridor that carried about 2.6 million passengers last year. In addition to environmental gains, the trains deliver lower maintenance costs, quieter operation and quicker acceleration and braking.
“We look forward to the improved efficiency and reliability that the Siemens Charger locomotives bring to intercity passenger rail services across the Midwest,” said David Simon, director of the Bureau of Transit, Local Roads, Railroads and Harbors at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
“These are among the nation’s cleanest locomotives, and we’re proud to have worked closely with Amtrak and the state DOTs to bring them to the Midwest, along with a robust chain of suppliers from across the country,” said Armin Kick, vice president for locomotives at Siemens Mobility.