In a statement, the German electronics and engineering giant said it will build the trains at facilities in Sacramento, California, Norwood, Ohio and Alpharetta, Georgia in the US, with delivery extending over a six-year period.
The purchase is part of an Amtrak plan unveiled last February to replace and expand its entire fleet over the next 30 years. Siemens will deliver the first locomotive to Amtrak Feb 2013. They’ll be incorporated into a new train fleet called Amtrak Cities Sprinters, which will serve the Boston- Washington Northeast Corridor in the US.
According to Siemens, 1,600 comparable models are in use worldwide.
"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 be built in America using renewable energy and provide cleaner, more efficient movement of people on the most heavily travelled rail route in the country," he said.
The Cities Sprinter models will include energy-saving technology that will let them feed the electricity generated by braking back into the power grid.
Siemens estimated that the engines could use 25 percent less power than Amtrak's existing locomotives. The company also said the new locomotives would have more power and greater ease of maintenance.
Amtrak carried 28.7 million passengers in the 12 months ended September 30, which is a 5.7 percent increase over the previous year.
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