Siemens Venture | |
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![]() Siemens Venture railcar outside of the manufacturing facility in Florin, California | |
![]() Interior of a Siemens Venture car operated by Brightline. | |
In service | 2018–present |
Manufacturer | Siemens Mobility |
Built at | Florin, California |
Constructed | 2015–present |
Number built | 937 cars (includes cars on order; see Operators section for details) |
Capacity |
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Specifications | |
Car length | 85 ft (25,908 mm) |
Width | 10 ft 6 in (3,200 mm) |
Height | 14 ft (4,267 mm) |
Platform height |
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Entry |
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Wheelbase | 59 ft 6 in (18,136 mm) between truck centers |
Maximum speed | 125 mph (201 km/h) |
Weight | 112,000 lb (50,802 kg) |
Coupling system | Janney Type H Tightlock |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Notes/references | |
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] |
Siemens Venture is a type of locomotive-hauled passenger railroad car built by Siemens Mobility for the North American market. The cars are derived from the Siemens Viaggio Comfort cars used in Europe, with adaptations for North American operations. The cars entered service with Brightline in 2018 and with Amtrak Midwest (services funded by Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin) in 2022. They have also been ordered by Amtrak for national and other state-supported routes (including those in California, Washington, Oregon, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maine, Virginia, North Carolina, and Vermont), Via Rail, and Ontario Northland. The Venture cars will also be used on Amtrak’s Airo trainsets.
The Venture dates back to 2014 when All Aboard Florida (now Brightline) purchased five trainsets for its new Brightline service along with ten Siemens Charger SCB-40 diesel-electric locomotives. The passenger cars, named the Venture, were derived from the Siemens Viaggio Comfort cars used in Europe, with adaptations for North American operations. They were built at the Siemens factory in Florin, California, starting in July 2015. The first trainset was completed in December 2016. [6] Public operations began on January 13, 2018. [7] [8]
In November 2017, a coalition of states with state-supported Amtrak routes ordered 137 Venture railcars through its contractor Sumitomo Corporation. [9] The order included seven trainsets for California and 88 cars for Illinois, Michigan, and Missouri (Amtrak Midwest) as married pairs and single coaches. [10] The Ventures were the coalition's second passenger railcar order; the first order of Next Generation Bi-Level Passenger Rail Cars was canceled after the prototype, built by Sumitomo's subcontractor, Nippon Sharyo, failed a buff strength test in August 2015. The first three Venture cars entered testing in February 2020. They were originally planned to enter revenue service in July 2020 [11] but were delayed, not making their first run until February 1, 2022, on a Lincoln Service train. [12]
On December 12, 2018, Canada's national passenger rail service operator, Via Rail, announced that it was purchasing 32 Venture trainsets to replace the entire fleet used on its Québec City–Windsor Corridor. [13] The first trainset was delivered for testing in 2021. [14] They are expected to enter service in 2022–2024. [15]
In August 2019, the state of Wisconsin used a Federal Railroad Administration grant to purchase six Venture coaches and three cab cars. [16] [17] The six coaches will be added to the Amtrak Midwest pool while the three cab cars will be used exclusively for Hiawatha Service trains.
In April 2021, Amtrak announced that they would order 83 trainsets to replace the aging Amfleet I fleet and Metroliner cab cars. [18] [19] The contract was signed in July 2021 and includes 20 years of after-delivery service and support. [20] [19] [21] On October 13, 2023, Siemens unveiled their Venture car prototype for the new Amtrak Airo equipment. [22]
Most Siemens Venture cars (except those for Amtrak Midwest) are configured as semi-permanently coupled trainsets with open gangways between cars and standard couplers on the ends for connecting the trainset to locomotives or other railway equipment. [4]
Owner | Qty. | Notes |
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Amtrak | 156 | 26 six-car trainsets, will include a cab car and catenary power car. |
256 | 32 eight-car trainsets, will include a cab car and catenary power car. | |
102 | 17 six-car trainsets, will include a cab car and battery car. | |
Amtrak Cascades | 48 | 8 six-car trainsets, will include a cab car. |
Amtrak Midwest | 97 | 34 married pairs, 26 single cars, 3 single cab cars. |
Amtrak San Joaquins | 49 | 7 seven-car trainsets, will include a cab car. |
Brightline | 60 | 10 six-car trainsets. |
Ontario Northland | 9 | 3 three-car trainsets, will include a cab car. |
Via Rail | 160 | 32 five-car trainsets, will include a cab car. |
Total | 937 |
Amtrak has ordered eight six-car Venture trainsets for the Amtrak Cascades. They are replacing the Talgo Series VI trainsets, which the NTSB recommended be replaced "as soon as possible" after the 2017 Washington train derailment. [23] [24] [25] Until the Venture trainsets arrive, Amtrak has been using its Horizon fleet on the route. [26]
Each trainset will consist of five coaches and one cab car. Trains will also have a café for food service along with coach and business class seating. They will be paired with a Siemens Charger, of which WSDOT already owns several. The first trainset is scheduled be delivered in 2025 and enter revenue service in 2026 after final commissioning. [27]
Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin have ordered 97 Venture cars for the Amtrak Midwest routes, including the Blue Water , Hiawatha Service , Illini and Saluki, Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg, Lincoln Service , Missouri River Runner , Pere Marquette , and Wolverine . [17]
Of the 97 cars, 68 are built as married pairs (two cars semi-permanently coupled with open gangways), while the remaining 29 are single (unmarried) cars with traditional gangways. Half of the married pairs (17) have a café car and an economy coach, while the remaining 17 have a combination business class/economy class coach and an economy-only coach. The business class and café cars have two vestibules each, while the economy coaches have one. [28] This arrangement—unique among Venture operators—allows trains to be sized to meet the travel demands of individual routes and allows business class seating and cafe cars to be added or removed. Among the 29 single cars are three cab cars with economy seating for exclusive use on Hiawatha Service trains.
Amtrak has made a firm order for 75 trainsets, which it will brand as the Amtrak Airo, [29] for intercity routes that operate over its Northeast Corridor.
The trainsets will be built in three configurations, tailored to the capacity and propulsion needs of the routes over which they will operate. All trainsets will include an ALC-42E Charger locomotive on one end of the consist and a cab control passenger car on the opposite end. Onboard, there will be a car with a food service area and a mix of Coach Class and Business Class seating. [30] The initial order for 65 trainsets was later increased to 75 in August 2023, with an option to purchase additional trainsets in the future. [31]
There will be 26 six-car catenary-diesel dual-power trainsets that will include an Auxiliary Power Vehicle (APV). The APV will be the trailer car closest to the locomotive and will include a pantograph, an underfloor transformer to handle the Northeast Corridor's 25 kV, 12.5 kV and 12 kV AC traction power systems, a four-quadrant chopper, and two powered trucks. [32] In electrified territory, the APV will draw power from overhead lines, through the transformer and fed to the four traction motors in the car, and via a DC link cable, to the four traction motors in the locomotive. These trainsets will be used on the Carolinian , Downeaster , Keystone Service , Palmetto , Pennsylvanian , and Vermonter . [30]
There will also be 32 eight-car catenary-diesel dual-power trainsets, similarly configured, for use on Northeast Regional trains, including through trains to Virginia and Springfield, Massachusetts. [30]
Amtrak will also purchase 17 six-car battery-diesel hybrid trainsets, where the trailer car closest to the locomotive will have batteries to supply electricity to traction motors in the locomotive when operating around New York Penn Station, eliminating the need for third rail propulsion on the Adirondack , Empire Service , Ethan Allen Express , and Maple Leaf . [30]
As of February 2024 [update] , 28 cars were in production, with one prototype car substantially completed. [33] : 2
For use on the San Joaquins service, the California Department of Transportation has ordered seven Venture trainsets with seven cars each: five coaches, one café car, and one cab-control car. The San Joaquins do not provide business class seating. Per each trainset, the cab-control car and two other cars will each only have one vestibule, while the remaining four cars will each have two. Two coaches per set will have built-in wheelchair lifts for compatibility with the low-platform boarding used at stations on the San Joaquins routes. [28]
The Venture cars began early service on the San Joaquins in December 2023, [33] : 12 without café or cab-control cars — this equipment is expected to arrive later in 2024. The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) plans to use unstaffed vending machines to provide food service, [34] though presently, the only food service available on Venture sets is via a complimentary prepackaged snack box. [35] The cab-control cars, once delivered, will provide additional space for passenger seating and checked baggage. [34]
Brightline has received 10 Venture trainsets consisting of four cars: three with economy seating (branded "Smart Service") and one with business class seating (branded "Premium Service", formerly "Select"). Each trainset has two Siemens Charger SCB-40 diesel-electric locomotives, one on each end. [36] [37] [38] Each trainset currently has a capacity of 248 passengers. [39] Premium Service coaches have fifty 21-inch-wide (530 mm) seats in a 2×1 layout, while Smart Service coaches have sixty-six 19-inch-wide (480 mm) seats in a 2×2 layout. [40] [41]
Brightline purchased five trainsets for its initial service between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Five more trainsets were purchased ahead of the extension of the line to Orlando and additional stations opening in Aventura and Boca Raton. An additional 20 cars were purchased to expand the trainsets. They will be extended to five-car sets in 2024 and six-car sets in 2025. [42] Brightline has said that it plans to eventually expand the trainsets to ten cars.
In December 2022, the Government of Ontario and Ontario Northland announced a CA$139.5 million investment to reinstate the Northlander passenger service between Timmins and Toronto. The government announced that it had ordered three, three-car trainsets (two coaches and a cab car) with a food service area, which would be paired with a Charger locomotive. [43] [44]
Via Rail purchased 32 five-car trainsets for its Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. Each trainset will have two business class coaches, two economy class coaches, and one cab control car with economy seating. [45] However, Via Rail says that the configuration is flexible and the railroad may operate shorter or longer trains depending on demand. [46]
Each trainset will be paired with a Siemens Charger SCV-42 diesel-electric locomotive. [45] All seats will be 19 inches wide, with a 2×1 layout in business class and 2×2 in economy class. All cars will be semi-permanently coupled with open gangways, which, compared to the current fleet, are wider and isolated from weather.
Some cars have a galley area, allowing for at-seat food and beverage service across both classes. [46]
The Maple Leaf is an international passenger train service operated by Amtrak and Via Rail between New York Penn Station in New York City and Union Station in Toronto via the Empire Corridor. Daily service is offered in both directions; the 544-mile (875 km) trip takes approximately 12 hours, including two hours for U.S. or Canadian customs and immigration inspection at either Niagara Falls, New York, or Niagara Falls, Ontario. Although the train uses Amtrak rolling stock exclusively, the train is operated by Via Rail crews while in Canada and by Amtrak crews in the United States. Service began in 1981.
The Empire Service is an inter-city rail service operated by Amtrak within the state of New York in the United States. The brand name originated with the New York Central Railroad in 1967. Trains on the line provide frequent daily service along the 460-mile (740 km) Empire Corridor between New York City and Niagara Falls via Albany, the state capital.
The Pacific Surfliner is a 350-mile (560 km) passenger train service serving the communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo.
The Pennsylvanian is a 444-mile (715 km) daily daytime Amtrak train running between New York City and Pittsburgh via Philadelphia. The trains travel across the Appalachian Mountains, through Pennsylvania's capital Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, suburban and central Philadelphia, and New Jersey en route to New York. The entire train ride takes about 9 hours total: 1.5 hours between New York and Philadelphia, 2 hours between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, and 5.5 hours between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.
The San Joaquins is a passenger train service operated by Amtrak in California's San Joaquin Valley. Six daily round trips run between its southern terminus at Bakersfield and Stockton, with onward service to Sacramento and Oakland.
The Adirondack is a daily intercity passenger train operated by Amtrak between New York City and Montreal. The scenic route follows the Empire Corridor through the Hudson Valley with major stops in Yonkers, Poughkeepsie, Albany–Rensselaer, and Schenectady. North of Saratoga Springs the route runs between the Adirondack Mountains and Lake Champlain until crossing the Canada–U.S. border at Rouses Point. Trains take approximately 11 hours to travel the 381-mile (613 km) route.
The Amtrak Cascades is a passenger train route in the Pacific Northwest, operated by Amtrak in partnership with the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. It is named after the Cascade mountain range that the route parallels. The 467-mile (752 km) corridor runs from Vancouver, British Columbia, through Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, to Eugene, Oregon.
The Palmetto is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on a 829-mile (1,334 km) route between New York City and Savannah, Georgia, via the Northeast Corridor, Washington, D.C., Richmond, Virginia, Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina. The Palmetto is a shorter version of the Silver Meteor, which continues south to Miami, Florida. From 1996 to 2002 this service was called the Silver Palm. Although currently a day train, the Palmetto is considered a long-distance train by Amtrak and previously provided overnight sleeper service to Florida.
The Vermonter is a passenger train operated by Amtrak between St. Albans, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., via New York City. It replaced the overnight Montrealer, which terminated in Montreal until 1995. Amtrak receives funding from the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont for Vermonter operations north of New Haven.
Amtrak California is a brand name used by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Division of Rail for three state-supported Amtrak regional rail routes in California – the Capitol Corridor, the Pacific Surfliner, and the San Joaquins – and their associated connecting network of Amtrak Thruway transportation services.
Amtrak has used a variety of paint schemes (liveries) on its rolling stock since taking over intercity passenger rail service in the United States in 1971. A series of seven schemes termed Phases, first introduced in 1972, have seen the widest use. Phases primarily use geometric arrangements of red, white, and blue—the national colors of the United States—part of Amtrak's patriotic visual identity.
Amfleet is a fleet of single-level intercity railroad passenger cars built by the Budd Company for American company Amtrak in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Budd based the Amfleet design on its earlier Metroliner electric multiple unit. An initial order for 57 cars in 1973 to supplement the Metroliners on the Northeast Corridor grew to two orders totaling 642 cars, sufficient to reequip all the services on the Northeast Corridor and many other routes around the United States. The first 492 cars, known as Amfleet I and completed between 1975 and 1977, were designed for short-distance service. A second order of 150 cars, known as Amfleet II and completed between 1980 and 1983, were designed for long-distance service. They were the last intercity passenger cars built by Budd.
The Comet railcar is a class of locomotive-hauled railcars that was first designed in the late 1960s by Pullman-Standard as a modern commuter car for North American rail lines. Later, the Comet moniker was adopted by NJ Transit for all of its non-powered single level commuter coaches. Additional series of cars bearing the Comet name, based on the original design, have since been built by Bombardier Transportation and Alstom. The successful design was adopted by numerous commuter agencies.
The Wolverine is a higher-speed passenger train service operated by Amtrak as part of its Michigan Services. The 304-mile (489 km) line provides three daily round-trips between Chicago and Pontiac, Michigan, via Ann Arbor and Detroit. It carries a heritage train name descended from the New York Central Railroad.
The Carolinian is a daily Amtrak passenger train that runs between New York City and Charlotte, North Carolina, with major stops in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Cary, Durham, and Greensboro. The 704-mile (1,133 km) service is the longest state-supported route in the Amtrak system. Northbound trains leave Charlotte at breakfast time and arrive in New York in the early evening, while southbound trains leave New York during the morning rush and arrive in Charlotte in the evening.
The Siemens Charger is a family of diesel-electric/dual-mode passenger locomotives designed and manufactured by Siemens Mobility for the North American market.
Siemens Viaggio Comfort is a brand of locomotive-hauled railroad passenger cars built by Siemens Mobility. The car was designed in the early 2000s and was based on the earlier Siemens Viaggio Classic railcars. The railcars were first used in 2008 on Railjet, a high-speed rail service in Europe operated by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and Czech Railways (ČD).
The Next Generation Bi-Level Passenger Rail Car was a failed design of bilevel intercity railroad passenger cars that was to be built by Sumitomo, with construction subcontracted to Nippon Sharyo. The contract was awarded in 2012 with delivery scheduled between 2015 and 2018. After delays in production, a prototype car failed buff strength testing in August 2015, leading to the cancellation of the contract with Nippon Sharyo. Siemens replaced Nippon Sharyo as the construction subcontractor in late 2017 and under the new contract, Siemens Venture railcars will be delivered between 2020 and 2023 instead of the bilevel design.