Amtrak has cut a major $7.3 billion deal with Siemens Mobility, a Germany-based manufacturer, to produce 83 trainsets at its Sacramento, California plant. The contract will rejuvenate the aging national passenger railroad company with modern equipment, replacing nearly 40% of the fleet by the early 2030s. A portion of the new trainsets will be coming to the Pacific Northwest and operate on Amtrak Cascades. Alongside this, Amtrak will invest $2 billion to improve facilities throughout the system.
In April, Amtrak announced that it had selected Siemens as the winning bidder to produce new trainsets, but had not yet finalized a contract nor disclosed the trainset model to be procured. However, Amtrak’s announcement this week confirms that the Siemens Venture series trainsets are to be purchased. This model is already owned and operated by Brightline in Florida and several state-supported Amtrak contractors, including the San Joaquins (California) and Hiawatha (Illinois and Wisconsin)
Amtrak proposes routes from Twin Cities to Duluth, Eau Claire, Madison
By FOX 9 Staff article
Amtrak s proposed route system in the upper Midwest. The light blue lines denote new routes if the president s infrastructure plan were to be passed by congress. (Amtrak)
(FOX 9) - Amtrak says it could add new routes connecting the Twin Cities to Duluth, Eau Claire, Madison and Chicago if the president’s new infrastructure proposal is passed.
According to the 15-year plan, which the passenger rail provider calls Amtrak Connect US, more than 30 new routes would be created, including the Duluth, Madison and Eau Claire connections.