The prospect of dual mode locomotives and the premature retirement of the ACS-64 Sprinter fleet, has not surprisingly given rise to much discussion at this topic.
True, operational efficiencies would arise should Locally sponsored trains such as those serving Virginia and North Carolina could eliminate the Wash engine change (little more to it nowadays than when the New Haven allowed the Merchants Limited 240 SECONDS to accomplish such at New Haven - and without radios).
But the "flip" is simply how successful have dual mode locomotives been at least over here (I have no knowledge to what extent they are in service overseas). I know so first hand that the New Haven's FL-9's had issues through their entire service life. Now didn't the Long Island have some Third rail diesel locomotives that proved to be "duds"?
Since we have Amtrak Passenger Engineers around here that actually operate the P-32's.(7XX), I wholly defer to them regarding their reliability.
Now so far as Diesel/Catenary locomotives go, didn't NJTransit have some from overseas that have also proven to be "duds"? All told, all I know is "my overseas Disneyland" of Austria hasn't any. I further have concerns that prime contractor Siemens, or anybody else for that matter, has the institutional expertise to draw upon beyond "trial and error". Unlike the order for "83 sets", there is the expertise with, to me, the attractive cars Siemens has built for the OBB and CD RailJets, as well as for Brightline and, I'm sure, those for the several Local agencies will prove to be.
So far as locomotives, the Sprinters are "knock off's" of those supplied to DB, OBB, and possibly other European systems.
But finally, with all these experimental locomotives being addressed here - including the one with the battery pack "Tender", and with delivery of the new equipment stretching through 2030, I think it safe to say that the 68 Sprinters have a full service life ahead - and on Amtrak!