Siemens Receives $225 Mln Passenger Rail Locomotive Contract From U.S.

(RTTNews) - Siemens (SI) said that it has been granted a $225 million contract to build 32 diesel-electric locomotives for the Multi-State passenger rail locomotive procurement being led by the Illinois Department of Transportation or IDOT.

The procurement is being done on behalf of the Departments of Transportation from 5 states: Illinois, California, Michigan, Washington and Missouri. The project includes options for 225 additional locomotives. The first locomotives are set to be delivered in 2016.

The company stated that Charger locomotives will be built at the Siemens rail manufacturing facility in Sacramento, Calif. The plant, which has been in operation for almost 30 years, is powered up to 80 percent by two megawatts of solar energy and currently employs over 800 people.

All main components of the new locomotive will be produced in Siemens plants in the United States - including traction motors and gearboxes in Norwood, Ohio and propulsion containers in Alpharetta, GA. The diesel engines will be manufactured by Cummins in its Seymour, Indiana plant.