Siemens Charger locomotives for Tri-Rail set for 2029

Siemens Charger locomotives for Tri-Rail are due to arrive as SFRTA advances a modernization program for the commuter service. The authority has ordered seven diesel-electric locomotives from Siemens Mobility, and the units are scheduled to enter service in 2029.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Why Siemens Charger locomotives for Tri-Rail matter?

SFRTA says the order is aimed at replacing six EMD GP49 locomotives that are nearing the end of their operational life. It is also Tri-Rail’s first purchase of Siemens Charger locomotives. Siemens Mobility summarises the procurement and the stated aims in its announcement. Siemens Mobility press release

MiamiCentral access and route details

Another driver behind the purchase is access to MiamiCentral station. SFRTA notes that MiamiCentral has specific technical and compliance requirements, and the new locomotives are intended to allow Tri-Rail trains to operate fully into the terminal.

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The service runs along a 73.5-mile corridor between Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, and it also uses an additional 8-mile segment on the Florida East Coast (FEC) corridor required for MiamiCentral access.

Compliance, funding, and US production

Siemens Mobility says the Charger locomotives comply with the EPA Tier 4 standard and presents them as the lowest-emission diesel-electric locomotives in North America; the Tier framework is described in EPA’s overview of locomotive emissions regulation. EPA locomotive emissions regulations

SFRTA says the purchase is funded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and that Siemens Mobility was the only manufacturer able to meet the project’s operational and regulatory requirements. The locomotives are also expected to comply with Buy America requirements for federally funded transit projects; the framework used in such procurements is set out in FTA’s regulations. FTA Buy America regulations

The locomotives are planned to be built at Siemens Mobility’s Sacramento, California facility, which the manufacturer describes as an active production site with around 30 years of activity and more than 2,500 employees.

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