Misplaced Pages

#210789

40-715: The bilevel cars were designed by the Next Generation Corridor Equipment Pool Committee (NGCE) under the provisions of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 . The cars were intended to replace single-level Amfleet and Horizon cars in the Midwest and supplement the bilevel Surfliner railcar and California Car railcars in California. The Next Generation Bi-Level Passenger Rail Car

80-521: A Lincoln Service train. 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 . The first trainset was delivered for testing in 2021. They are expected to enter service in 2022–2024. In August 2019, the state of Wisconsin used a Federal Railroad Administration grant to purchase six Venture coaches and three cab cars. The six coaches will be added to

120-466: A cab car) with a food service area, which would be paired with a Charger locomotive. 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. However, Via Rail says that the configuration is flexible and the railroad may operate shorter or longer trains depending on demand. Each trainset will be paired with

160-461: A cafe-lounge car. All three types would measure 16 feet 2 inches (4.93 m) high, 85 feet (26 m) long, and 10 feet 6 inches (3.20 m) wide. The cars were designed for low-level boarding only ; the distance from the rail to the bottom step is 18 inches (460 mm). The coach would seat a maximum of 89 passengers, most of them on the upper level. Seating would be 2×2, with some table seating provided. Stairs at both ends of

200-568: A capacity of 248 passengers. 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. 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

240-484: A mix of Coach Class and Business Class seating. The initial order for 65 trainsets was later increased to 75 in August 2023, with an option to purchase additional trainsets in the future. 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

280-504: A subcontractor. Under a new contract, valued at $ 371 million, Siemens would deliver 137 Siemens Venture single-level cars instead of bilevel cars. Cars deliveries started in mid-2020 and entered service in February 2022. Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (originally H.R. 6003 , passed as division B of Pub. L.   110–432 (text) (PDF) )

320-560: Is a law that reauthorized Amtrak and authorized the United States Department of Transportation to provide grants for operating costs and capital expenses and to repay Amtrak's long-term debt and capital leases. It required Amtrak to adopt cost and performance metrics with regard to its intercity trains and established the Northeast Corridor Commission to govern Amtrak’s shared services along

360-435: Is required to rank the performance of its long-distance routes and develop performance improvement plans for those routes that underperform. Amtrak is required to develop a methodology for allocation of costs on such routes and allocate costs appropriately to those states. States may select a different provider for those services and may agree with Amtrak on the usage of its facilities for those providers. Section 212 created

400-538: Is scheduled to be delivered in 2025 and enter revenue service in 2026 after final commissioning. Illinois , Michigan , Missouri , and Wisconsin have ordered 97 Venture cars for the Amtrak Midwest routes, including the Blue Water , Hiawatha , Illini and Saluki , Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg , Lincoln Service , Missouri River Runner , Pere Marquette , and Wolverine . Of

440-493: Is via a complimentary prepackaged snack box. The cab-control cars, once delivered, will provide additional space for passenger seating and checked baggage. 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. Each trainset currently has

SECTION 10

#1732780287211

480-599: 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

520-670: The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority pay $ 30 million for Amtrak’s costs in servicing the Attleboro Line , which is owned by MBTA. MBTA citing an existing agreement in which Amtrak was permitted to use the line for its trains and agreed to maintain the line at no cost. In a settlement, Amtrak and MBTA agreed to share costs along the Attleboro line and Amtrak would continue to allow the use South Station with cost sharing for use of

560-674: The Northeast Corridor . The National Railroad Passenger Corporation was established in 1970 by the Rail Passenger Service Act in order to maintain passenger rail service in the United States. Since its inception, Amtrak has remained unprofitable and requires an annual subsidy from Congress in order to maintain service and make critical capital improvements. In 2006, the Office of Inspector General for

600-624: The Surface Transportation Board to develop metrics and standards for performance of intercity service. The STB is also authorized to award damages to Amtrak in cases where freight railroads, on whose tracks Amtrak operates, do not provide preference to Amtrak traffic which may result in significant delays. Under Section 212 of the law, the Surface Transportation Board was permitted to appoint an arbitrator to settle disputes in certain cases. Amtrak

640-418: 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

680-481: The Amtrak Airo, 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

720-521: The Amtrak Midwest pool while the three cab cars will be used exclusively for Hiawatha trains. In April 2021, Amtrak announced that they would order 83 trainsets to replace the aging Amfleet I fleet and Metroliner cab cars. The contract was signed in July 2021 and includes 20 years of after-delivery service and support. On October 13, 2023, Siemens unveiled their Venture car prototype for

760-534: The Association of American Railroads filed a federal lawsuit seeking to invalidate the terms of Section 212 as unconstitutional. The AAR claimed that the law gave a private party the ability to regulate the conduct of another private party. In 2015, United States Supreme Court ruled that Amtrak was effectively a government entity and remanded the case back to the District Court. In 2016, the court voided

800-527: The Department of Transportation estimated that Amtrak would require $ 2 billion annually in order to maintain a state of good repair or $ 1.4 billion annually in order to prevent further deterioration of the infrastructure. Amtrak's annual funding from 2003 to 2007 was about $ 1.3 billion. Amtrak fired David Gunn as president in 2006 and hired Alex Kummant in his place. Kummant saw growth opportunities on routes from 300 to 500 miles and sought to restructure

840-559: The NTSB recommended be replaced "as soon as possible" after the 2017 Washington train derailment . Until the Venture trainsets arrive, Amtrak has been using its Horizon fleet on the route. 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

SECTION 20

#1732780287211

880-583: The Northeast Corridor Commission and mandated the Commuter and Intercity Rail Cost Allocation Policy which provides for a methodology of allocating costs to all users along the Northeast Corridor including commuter rail service. The DOT is authorized to make grants to states for the benefit of intercity passenger rail service. Funds may also be authorized to establish a program for development of high-speed rail corridors. In 2011,

920-953: The Northeast Corridor's 25 kV , 12.5 kV and 12 kV AC traction power systems, a four-quadrant chopper , and two powered trucks . 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 . 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. Amtrak will also purchase 17 six-car battery-diesel hybrid trainsets, where

960-936: 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. Public operations began on January 13, 2018. In November 2017, a coalition of states with state-supported Amtrak routes ordered 137 Venture railcars through its contractor Sumitomo Corporation . The order included seven trainsets for California and 88 cars for Illinois, Michigan, and Missouri ( Amtrak Midwest ) as married pairs and single coaches. The Ventures were

1000-496: The car provided access between levels. There would be restrooms on both levels, and a bicycle rack on the lower level. The cab-baggage design would have capacity for 15 fewer passengers, with much of the lower level seating given over to checked baggage storage. The cafe-lounge would have a single staircase at one end, with the galley located centrally on the upper level. The car would have some passenger seating, but most space would be used for lounge seating. Caltrans , on behalf of

1040-529: The carbuilder for the order. The contract was for 130 cars, valued at $ 352 million. Eighty-eight of the cars were for the Midwestern states and 42 for California. Delivery of the new cars was scheduled for 2015–2018. The 88 Midwestern cars were funded by a $ 220 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) grant which, by law, had to be spent by September 30, 2017. This ambitious schedule proved untenable. By May 2015, Caltrans acknowledged that

1080-448: 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 but were delayed, not making their first run until February 1, 2022, on

1120-411: The design in 2006. This specification, dubbed "Corridor Car for the 21st Century" or C21, became the basis for the design work undertaken by the Next Generation Corridor Equipment Pool Committee (NGCE) under the provisions of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 beginning in 2009. The specification encompassed three car types: a standard coach, a combination cab - baggage car , and

1160-401: The economy coaches have one. 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 trains. Amtrak has made a firm order for 75 trainsets, which it will brand as

1200-1154: The facility. Siemens Venture 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

1240-555: The low-platform boarding used at stations on the San Joaquins routes. The Venture cars began early service on the San Joaquins in December 2023, 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, though presently, the only food service available on Venture sets

Next Generation Bi-Level Passenger Rail Car - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-669: The metrics published by Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration in May 2010. In 2017, the District Court ruled that the arbitration provision of the law was unconstitutional, but severed that provision from Section 212, allowing the remainder of the section to take effect. Amtrak filed suit against SEPTA to force an increase in rent of land adjacent to its tracks along the Northeast Corridor that SEPTA uses for SEPTA Regional Rail stations and parking lots. In 2016, Amtrak, citing Section 212, demanded that

1320-558: The new Amtrak Airo equipment. 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. Amtrak has ordered eight six-car Venture trainsets for the Amtrak Cascades . They are replacing the Talgo Series VI trainsets, which

1360-513: The project was fourteen months behind schedule and replaced much of its project management team. The project slipped further that August when the new car shell failed a buff strength compression test. This failure forced a complete redesign of the car, delaying the project by at least two years. This would place delivery beyond the expiration of the ARRA funds. In November 2017, Caltrans and Sumitomo announced that Siemens would replace Nippon Sharyo as

1400-674: The route network in favor of these routes. Rep. James Oberstar sponsored the legislation as Division B of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and President George W. Bush signed the act into law on October 16, 2008. The law required Amtrak to develop a modern financial and accounting reporting system and to submit a five-year financial plan and budget to the Inspector General. It authorizes Amtrak to restructure its long-term debt and leases by negotiating with holders of that debt. Amtrak must work with

1440-581: The single narrow door of the Superliner; interior stairways are straight single flights, rather than spirals; seating for trips of at most six hours; and with total accessibility as an original criterion, rather than as an adaptation. An improved version of the California Car, the Surfliner , entered service in 2000. Caltrans and Amtrak began drafting the specification for a third generation of

1480-530: The state coalition (California, Michigan , Missouri and Illinois ), issued a request for proposal (RFP) for building cars to the new bilevel specification in April 2012. Five companies submitted final proposals: Alstom , Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF), Kawasaki , Siemens , and Sumitomo. Caltrans awarded the contract to Sumitomo in November 2012. Sumitomo, in turn, selected Nippon Sharyo as

1520-480: 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 . As of February 2024 , 28 cars were in production, with one prototype car substantially completed. For use on

1560-575: The trainsets. They will be extended to five-car sets in 2024 and six-car sets in 2025. 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

1600-416: Was to be the third generation of a design that began with the California Car, which entered service in 1996. The California Car was derived from the design of Amtrak's successful Superliner long-distance coach, which entered service in 1979, but modified to account for use on corridor services with more frequent stops. The California Car is designed with two wide lower-level door openings per side, rather than

#210789