By Justin Franz
This week, the editors of Railfan & Railroad Magazine are looking at some of the biggest stories in railroading in 2022. Be sure to check Railfan.com every weekday all year long for all your (free) railroad news and if you like what you see, consider subscribing.
Passenger trains across much of the United States and Canada will look very different a decade from now and that shift appears to have begun this year. And more often than not, it was a shift to motive power built by Siemens Mobility, the now dominant passenger locomotive builder in North America.
In 2022, Amtrak’s first new long-distance passenger locomotive in a generation, the Siemens ALC-42 Charger, hit the main line. Amtrak will eventually own 125 of the 4,200 horsepower locomotives that are being built to Tier IV standards and will lead all of the railroad’s long-distance trains. However, the ALC-42’s rollout has not been without its problems and even their debut run on the Empire Builder in February was mired with technical troubles. As the year comes to a close, it appears some of those issues have persisted, but Amtrak officials are confident that they will get the bugs worked out and the Chargers will eventually earn their spot as the “new face” of America’s national passenger carrier.
A rendering of the new Airo train that will run on state-supported routes from coast to coast.
In December, Amtrak revealed renderings of the new “Airo” trains that will eventually replace Amfleet cars and older diesel locomotives on state-supported routes from coast to coast. The new trains will be built by Siemens and are expected to be put into service starting in 2026. The first route to get the trains — which have a front end that looks similar to that of an ALC-42 — will be the Cascades, between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, B.C. Siemens is expected to build up to 83 dual-power train sets in a deal worth $7.4 billion.
Amtrak isn’t the only railroad turning to Siemens for motive power. In Canada, both VIA Rail and Ontario Northland are purchasing Siemens trains to power intercity trains across the country.
Metra SD70MACH 500 is the first of 15 rebuilt freight locomotives that will eventually be put in commuter service in Chicago. Photo Courtesy of Metra.
One of the most interesting motive power acquisitions this year came from Metra in Chicago, which will soon be using rebuilt six-axle SD70MACHs in commuter service. The railroad has ordered 15 with an option to acquire 27 more and the first, locomotive 500, came in a special heritage scheme based on the Regional Transportation Authority image of the 1970s. Metra has a long history with some of the biggest six-axle commuter locomotives ever run — from classic Burlington Northern E9s to iconic Milwaukee Road F40Cs — and the SD70MACHs are sure to be of interest to enthusiasts.
One debut that we didn’t get in 2022, was that of Amtrak’s new Acela Avelia Liberty. Amtrak had originally hoped to have the new train in service in 2021, but now it might be in service until the fall of 2023. Amtrak officials attributed the delay to problems with the overhead catenary system on the Northeast Corridor.
Meanwhile, out west, Caltrain started to take delivery of its new Stadler KISS electric multiple-unit trainsets that will eventually help that agency electrify its line between San Francisco and San Jose beginning in 2024.
Caltrain’s new Stadler electric trainsets are seen in San Jose. Photo by Elrond Lawrence.
