OCEANSIDE, Calif. — The North County Transit District, which operates Coaster commuter trains in the San Diego area, will purchase five new Siemens Charger locomotives.
The purchase was approved at the district’s June board meeting. Slated for delivery beginning in March 2021, the locomotives will allow for 36 trips to be added to the Coaster schedule — six on each weekday, three on Saturday, and three on Sunday.
The $57 million order will be paid for with funds from the state’s Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, along with $10 million in grant funds from the Air Pollution Control District. The new locomotives are estimated to reduce emissions by 90 percent and fuel consumption by 16 percent, compared to the current locomotive fleet.
Previous Charger buyers include several state-supported Amtrak operations, Florida’s Brightline, Maryland’s MARC, and the Philadelphia-area SEPTA commuter system. Another California commuter service, Altamont Corridor Express, ordered four Chargers earlier this year. [See “Altamont Corridor Express orders Charger locomotives,” Trains News Wire, April 26, 2018.]
What a shame. More ugly Siemens Chargers to go around. Its a shame both Metrolink and Progress Rail caused the F125s to have so many problems.
@Craig Hinners, order backlog.
Delivery three years out…on an existing production model?!
Question on that Sounder kink: Was the tight curve original to the Prairie Line or was it realigned to be shorter in crossing I-5 when the interstate was built?
SEPTA is taking delivery of ACS-64 electric locos from Siemens to replace their AEM-7s. Their only diesels are used for switching and MofW trains.
“Is they can afford these locomotives they should be able to afford rebuild their new line into the bridge over the interstate and build it with a jug handle design to increase all curve speeds to be above 50 MPH and eliminate the 30 MPH kink. Jug handle means to first turn away from the bridge to widen the curve into and across the bridge and higher speeds, but way below turnover speed.”
I believe you are confused by the photo of the Amtrak Cascades train in Washington used with this article. The $57 million locomotive order is from San Diego, CA.
Is they can afford these locomotives they should be able to afford rebuild their new line into the bridge over the interstate and build it with a jug handle design to increase all curve speeds to be above 50 MPH and eliminate the 30 MPH kink. Jug handle means to first turn away from the bridge to widen the curve into and across the bridge and higher speeds, but way below turnover speed.