SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The battery-electric versions of the Siemens Charger locomotives to be built for MTA’s Metro-North Railroad will be known as the Charger B+AC, Siemens said today (June 27, 2025). In emphasizing the new locomotive’s suitability for commuter operations, the company also announced it will be available in additional power options.
Metro-North had announced plans to order 13 battery-electric locomotives from Siemens earlier this year, exercising an option on an existing contract for dual-mode (diesel/third-rail electric) locomotives. [see “Metro-North to order 13 …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 24, 2025]. The first of the dual-mode SC42DM locomotives were delivered last year [see “Metro-North introduces …,” News Wire, Nov. 2, 2024].
More than 400 Charger variants have been sold in North America; this version will replace the diesel power plant with a modular battery and pantograph system, switching to battery power when overhead wires aren’t available. The locomotives will be capable of speeds up to 125 mph and will have a battery range of up to 100 miles. The company says the Charger B+AC will be available with charging options including catenary, plug-in power, and dynamic braking that allows recovery of up to 30% of the energy used during acceleration. Such locomotives will be ideal for operators who have or plan to have partial electrification.
“On behalf of the more than 4,500 Siemens Mobility team members in the U.S., we are thrilled to bring these cutting-edge passenger locomotives to North America for the first time,” Marc Buncher, CEO of Siemens Mobility North America, said in a press release. “These American-made locomotives will help to reinvent rail travel, offering more reliable travel for millions of commuters each year.”
The MTA order is planned for use on the Penn Access project, which will allow the locomotives to draw from catenary power on Metro-North’s New Haven Line and Amtrak’s Hell Gate Line, then switch to batteries to reach Penn Station, which uses third-rail electrification.
Clearly, this advanced concept is ideal for passenger rail operators with partially electrified networks or with planned electrification measures.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Note that the Siemens Mobility Charger B+AC can more accurately be designated a “dual-power electric-battery” locomotive.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
The HV-AC catenary extends from Boston-South Station to Washington-Union Station, by way of the Hell Gate Bridge, Sunnyside Yard, and NY-Penn. Just ask any Accela motorman. Battery operation might be useful to extend service beyond the catenary for short distances, but it’s not going to haul a train from end-of-wire in Harrisburg to Pittsburgh. The writer of the Siemens article probably is not familiar with eastern US passenger operations.
Can anyone explain (I am sure there is a logical reason) why the locomotives are not AC catenary + DC third-rail rather than battery?
I guess they forgot that the catenary goes to Penn Station on the Hell Gate line.
Maybe some of the LIRR-only tracks on the north side of Penn Station (Track 21 and down) are third-rail only. Does anyone know for sure?