Siemens AG bags $466-mn order from US railroad company Amtrak

Siemens AG has won a $466-million contract to build 70 electric locomotives for US rail company Amtrak for its busiest northeastern routes, the first big order in the US for the German engineering giant.

The order is part of Amtrak's fleet rejuvenation initiative of replacing old 70 electric locomotives with new ones from Siemens, which will ply in Amtrak's Northeast Regional route between Boston and Washington and Keystone route in Pennsylvania.

Amtrak, which is the largest passenger rail operator in North American and the only operator of a high-speed line, had said in February 2010 that it will replace a most of its aging fleet over the next 14 years at a cost of about $11 billion.

Siemens Mobility Division, which bagged the contract will build the locomotives at its existing light rail manufacturing facility in Sacramento, California and create additional 250 jobs.

All main components of the new locomotive including the motors will be produced in Siemens plants in Alpharetta, Georgia and propulsion containers in Norcross, Georgia.

Siemens said that the Sacramento plant has been in operation for 26 years and is powered up to 80 per cent by two megawatts of solar energy and employs 750 people.