Matt Johnson wrote: ↑Wed Jul 07, 2021 10:21 am
I'm confused - what is this mythical dual mode locomotive, and where does Amtrak's existing newly acquired fleet of ACS-64 electrics fit in?
Judging by what the article writes (only 40% of the fleet is being replaced by these Siemens trains), they will still serve most NEC/Keystone trains.
I imagine that these train sets will only serve the NEC on trains that leave electrified territory, but only for a (relatively) small portion of their route. This could include NE Regionals to Richmond, Norfolk, and Newport News on the Southern end, and trains to Springfield, MA and Portland, ME on the northern end. It doesn’t sound like these are intended for long distance.
Sprinters will therefore still be assigned to NE Regionals that only operate within electrified territory, LD trains running over the NEC, and keystone trains.
I imagine most of the use of these other trainsets will likely be on planned corridors that are not yet operable, like PHL-RDG, NY-SCR, etc. I don’t think the Pennsylvanian or Carolinian trains will get these, as they are semi-long distance, and the Midwest trains are already getting their new equipment.
That having been said, this article is QUITE confusingly written. I made all of the above conclusions based on the assumption that this is a trainset a-la Brightline or the Acela 1s, but given Amtrak’s history, current infrastructure, and existing equipment, it would make much more sense that they would be purchasing a pool of Venture coaches along with some dual-mode version of the Charger, to be used anywhere needed at any given moment. If that would be the case, I’m not sure if we’re to expect a full replacement of all short-distance Amfleets, or if this will just replace some of the worst examples.