- Amtrak Cities Sprinter
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Amtrak Cities Sprinter (ACS-64) 
Artist's rendering of the ACS-64. Power type Electric Builder Siemens Build date 2013–2016 Total produced 70 UIC classification Bo'Bo' Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Locomotive weight approx. 214,000 lb (97 t) Electric system 12,000 V AC, 25 Hz
12,500 V AC, 60 Hz
25,000 V AC, 60 Hz[1]
Overhead linesTraction motors 4 Siemens AC Traction Motors Top speed Service:200 km/h (125 mph)[2]
Design:217 km/h (135 mph)[2]Power output 6,400 kW (8,600 hp) Tractive effort 71,900 lbf (320 kN) Locomotive brakes Regenerative braking Train brakes Pneumatic Safety systems FRA standards The Amtrak Cities Sprinter, or ACS-64, is an electric locomotive designed by Siemens Mobility for Amtrak.
Contents
Order
In October 2010, Amtrak ordered 70 locomotives, to be delivered from February 2013 onwards; the locomotives will be manufactured in Florin, California[3][4] with secondary work occurring at Siemens facilities in Norwood, Ohio and Alpharetta, Georgia.[5] The initial order for 70 locomotives is worth $466 million.[6] The locomotives are planned to operate on the Northeast Corridor and the Keystone Corridor and replace the railroad's fleet of AEM-7 and HHP-8 locomotives.[4] Initially, the 20 AEM-7DC units with direct current propulsion would be replaced, followed by the 29 AEM-7ACs and lastly by the 15 HHP-8s.[4] The extra units in the ACS-64 order would serve to increase service.[4] The order came as part of Amtrak's company-wide fleet-replacement program, and was the second part of the plan, after an order for 130 Viewliner II passenger cars was placed in July 2010.[7]
On 30 June 2011, US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced that Amtrak had received a US$562.9 million loan from the government's Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing program to finance the order for the new locomotives.[8]
Design
The design is based on the EuroSprinter and the Vectron platforms[6], but with significant structural changes including crumple zones; hence they are heavier too.[1] They will be able to operate off of 25 kV, 12.5 kV, and 12 kV power supplies, and have a total power of 6.4 megawatts (8,600 hp).[6] The locomotives are designed to be capable of accelerating 18 car Amfleet trains to maximum speeds as high as 125 mph (201 km/h) on the Northeast Corridor and 110 mph (180 km/h) on the Keystone Corridor in a little over eight minutes.[7][9] They have advanced safety systems, including specialized couplers designed to keep trains from rolling over, jacknifing, and derailing during a collision.[7] Additionally, the new locomotives will be more energy-efficient than those that they replace, and will lack dynamic braking grids to favor 100% regenerative braking, depending on grid receptiveness.[7] In addition, the locomotive will include system redundancies, such as dual identical 1000 kW HEP inverters and auxiliary inverters. This will allow the locomotive to remain in service should one inverter fail en route.[10]
References
- ^ a b "Amtrak orders Siemens 200 km/h Cities Sprinter locomotives". www.railwaygazette.com. Railway Gazette International. 29 October 2010. http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/amtrak-orders-siemens-200-kmh-cities-sprinter-locomotives.html. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
- ^ a b Joan Lowy. "Amtrak to spend $466 million to buy 70 locomotives from German manufacturer Siemens". Canadian Press. www.google.com. http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iLM_J6JEEv7d_jrTtnHVD_BGAuWg?docId=4969175.
- ^ "Amtrak orders 70 electric locomotives from Siemens". International Railway Journal. 29 October 2010. http://www.railjournal.com/newsflash/amtrak-orders-70-electric-locomotives-from-siemens.html. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
- ^ a b c d "Amtrak contracts Siemens to supply 70 electric locomotives". Progressive Railroading. 29 October 2010. http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article.asp?id=24892. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
- ^ "Amtrak to spend $466 million to buy 70 locomotives for Northeast, Keystone corridors". Chicago Tribune. 28 October 2010. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-us-rail-cars,0,4376043.story. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
- ^ a b c "Siemens breaks into the U.S. long-distance passenger rail market". www.infrasite.net. 29 October 2010. http://www.infrasite.net/news/news_article.php?ID_nieuwsberichten=14091&language=en. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
- ^ a b c d "Amtrak orders 70 new electric locomotives from Siemens". Trains Magazine. 29 October 2010. http://trn.trains.com/en/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2010/10/Amtrak%20orders%2070%20new%20electric%20locomotives%20from%20Siemens.aspx. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
- ^ "Amtrak receives $562.9m loan to purchase 70 locomotives for Northeast Corridor". Rail.co. 30 June 2011. Archived from the original on 30 June 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5zqBDEVvy. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
- ^ http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/sb/ra0611/#/48
- ^ http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/sb/ra0611/#/50
External links
- Siemens breaks into the U.S. long-distance passenger rail market. . www.siemens.com (Siemens). 29 October 2010. http://www.siemens.com/press/en/pressrelease/?press=/en/pressrelease/2010/industry/i201010035.htm.
- Amtrak press release announcing the order
- Article on the locomotive from the June 2011 issue of Railway Age
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- Siemens locomotives
- 25 kV AC locomotives
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- Electric locomotives of the United States
- Railway locomotives introduced in 2010
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