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 have since been ordered by Amtrak for national and state-supported routes (including those in California, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Washington) and Canada's Via Rail.

Siemens Venture
Siemens Venture railcar outside of the manufacturing facility in Florin, California
The interior of a Siemens Venture trainset operated by Brightline in Miami.
ManufacturerSiemens Mobility
Built atFlorin, California
Number under construction
  • Amtrak: 75 trainsets (438 cars)
  • Amtrak Cascades: 8 trainsets (48 cars)
  • Amtrak California: 7 trainsets (49 cars)
  • Amtrak Midwest: 97 cars
  • Via Rail: 32 trainsets (160 cars)
Number in service
  • Brightline: 5 trainsets (20 cars)
  • Amtrak Midwest: 4 cars[1]
Capacity
  • Business: Up to 54
  • Cab (Economy): Up to 62
  • Economy: Up to 74[2]
Specifications
Car length85 ft (25,908 mm)
Width10 ft 6 in (3,200 mm)
Height14 ft (4,267 mm)
Platform height
  • Level boarding: 48 in (1,219 mm)
  • Step boarding: 8 in (203 mm)
Entry
  • Level boarding (Brightline)
  • Level and step boarding (other operators)
Maximum speed125 mph (201 km/h)
Weight112,000 pounds (50,802 kg)[3]
Coupling systemJanney Type H Tightlock
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Notes/references
[4][5][6]

History

The Venture dates to 2014, when All Aboard Florida purchased five Venture trainsets for its new Brightline service along with ten Siemens Charger SCB-40 diesel-electric locomotives. They were built at the Siemens factory in Florin, California starting in July 2015. The first trainset was completed in December 2016.[7] Public operations began on January 13, 2018.[8][9]

A test train in California in July 2020

In November 2017, a coalition of states with state-supported Amtrak routes ordered 137 Venture railcars through its contractor Sumitomo Corporation.[10] The order included seven trainsets for California and 88 cars for Illinois, Michigan, and Missouri ("Amtrak Midwest") as married pairs and single coaches.[11] The Ventures were the coalition's second passenger railcar order; the first order of Next Generation Bi-Level Passenger Rail Cars was cancelled 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[12] but were delayed, not making their first run until February 1, 2022, on a Lincoln Service train.[13]

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.[14] The first trainset was delivered for testing in 2021.[15] They are expected to enter service in 2022–2024.[16]

In August 2019, the state of Wisconsin used a Federal Railroad Administration grant to purchase six Venture coaches and three cab cars.[17][18] 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 will be ordering 83 new intercity Venture trainsets to replace 40% of their existing Amfleet cars.[19][20] The contract was signed in July 2021.[21][22][23] The contract includes 20 years of service and support.

Operators

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.[5]

Amtrak Cascades

Amtrak has ordered eight six car Venture trainsets for the Cascades service to replace the Horizon cars, which themselves replaced the Talgo Series VI trainsets. Each trainset consists of five coaches and one cab car. They will be paired with one of WSDOT's eight existing Siemens SC-44 diesel-electric locomotives. The first trainset is scheduled to enter service in 2024.

Amtrak Midwest
Low-platform boarding door on Siemens Venture coach built for state corridor service

Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin have ordered 97 Venture cars for the Amtrak Midwest routes including Blue Water, Hiawatha Service, Illini/Saluki, Illinois Zephyr/Carl Sandburg, Lincoln Service, Missouri River Runner, Pere Marquette, and Wolverine.[18] Of the 97 cars, 68 are married pairs (two cars semi-permanently coupled with open gangways) while the remainder (29) are single (unmarried) cars with traditional gangways. Half of the married pairs (17) have a cafe 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 cafe cars have two vestibules each, while the economy coaches have one.[24] 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.

As of March 2022, the Amtrak Midwest Venture coaches, which had been introduced with much media fanfare to corridor trains out of Chicago, have been withdrawn from service. The reported reason is that powerful magnets designed to hold sliding tray tables in place, were damaging cellphones, laptop computers and other electronics, and were potentially powerful enough to disrupt pacemakers implanted in passengers with certain heart problems. The magnets, which are exclusive to the Amtrak design, are being removed. [25]

Amtrak Northeast Corridor

Amtrak has made a firm order for 75 Venture trainsets for intercity routes that operate over its Northeast Corridor. The trainsets will be built in three configurations, each 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.[26]

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, transformers and a powered truck. In electrified territory, the APV will draw power from overhead lines, which will be fed to the powered truck and the traction motors in the locomotive. These trainsets will be used on the Carolinian, Downeaster, Keystone Service, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian and Vermonter.[26]

There will also be 24 eight-car catenary-diesel dual-power trainsets, similarly configured, for use on Northeast Regional trains including through trains to Virginia and Springfield, Massachusetts. Amtrak has options to purchase up to eight additional eight-car catenary-diesel dual-power trainsets.[26]

Amtrak will also purchase 15 six-car battery-diesel hybrid trainsets, where the trailer car closest to the locomotive will 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. Amtrak has options to purchase up to two additional six-car battery-diesel hybrid trainsets.[26]

Amtrak San Joaquins

The California Department of Transportation has ordered seven Venture trainsets for the San Joaquins service with seven cars each: four coaches with economy seating, two coaches with economy seating and vending machines, and one cab car with economy seating. Two cars per trainset will have built-in wheelchair lifts for compatibility with the low platforms used in California. The cab car and two other cars per trainset will have one vestibule per car, while the remaining cars will have two vestibules each.[24]

Brightline
Siemens Venture trainset operated by Brightline at MiamiCentral station

Brightline Venture trainsets consist of four coaches: 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.[27][28][29] Each trainset has a capacity of 248 passengers.[30] Premium Service coaches have fifty 21-inch (530 mm)-wide seats in a 2×1 layout, while Smart Service coaches have sixty-six 19-inch (480 mm)-wide seats in a 2×2 layout.[31][32]

Brightline has purchased five additional Venture trainsets in preparation for their extension to Orlando and will expand the existing trainsets to seven coaches when the extension opens.

Via Rail

Via Rail Venture trainsets will have five cars each: two business class (premium) coaches, two economy class coaches, and one cab car (control car) with economy seating.[33] Each trainset will be paired with a Siemens Charger SC-42 diesel-electric locomotive.[33] All seats will be 19 inches wide, with a 2×1 layout in business class and 2×2 in economy class. About half of the exterior doors on the coaches will be permanently plugged (closed).

References
  1. Johnston, Bob (February 2, 2022). "First look: Siemens Venture coaches debut for Amtrak". Trains News Wire.
  2. "Venture Trainsets Brochure" (PDF). Siemens Mobility. 2021.
  3. https://assets.new.siemens.com/siemens/assets/api/uuid:01e2c2a5-57b1-417d-9a57-0bdf68454d9a/version:1587499159/charger-locomotive-brochure-f-hqsinglepg.pdf
  4. Siemens Mobility (July 2016). "Brightline Passenger Coaches and PRIIA-Specification" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 30, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  5. Next Generation Equipment Committee (February 2018). "Caltrans/ IDOT New Single-Level Passenger Railcars "CALIDOT"" (pptx). Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  6. Next Generation Equipment Committee (February 2019). "Caltrans/ IDOT New Single-Level Passenger Railcars "CALIDOT"" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on November 24, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  7. Hurtibise, Ron (December 14, 2016). "First All Aboard Florida train finished and ready for testing".
  8. "Happy rails to you: Brightline high-speed trains roll into action". my Palm Beach Post. January 13, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  9. "Brightline slates fares and service date". Railway Age. January 11, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  10. "Caltrans Amends Multimillion Dollar, Multi-State Railcar Contract" (Press release). Caltrans. November 8, 2017.
  11. Siemens Mobility (February 22, 2019). "Caltrans/ IDOT New Single-Level Passenger Railcars: 'CALIDOT'" (PDF). Next Generation Equipment Committee - 2019 Annual Meeting. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
  12. Gradinger, Kyle; Tamaoki, Momoko (February 21, 2020). "Multi-state Single Level Rail Cars Procurement Updates" (PDF). California Department of Transportation Division of Rail and Mass Transportation. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  13. "News photo: First revenue run for new Amtrak cars". Trains News Wire. February 1, 2022.
  14. "Via Rail Selects Siemens Canada to Replace its Quebec-Windsor Corridor Fleet". Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  15. "Bombardier hit with 'astonishing' Via Rail blow amid NJ Transit win". BNN Bloomberg. December 12, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  16. Arsenault, Julien (December 12, 2018). "Via Rail places $989-million train order with Siemens for key rail corridor". Financial Post. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  17. "WisDOT awarded federal grant for new passenger train cars". Wisconsin Department of Transportation. August 23, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  18. "Amtrak Five-Year Asset Line Plans Fiscal Years 2020–2025" (PDF). amtrak.com. p. 33. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  19. "Amtrak Announces Siemens as Preferred Bidder for New Equipment". Amtrak Media. April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  20. Lazo, Liz (July 7, 2021). "Amtrak signs deal for 83 multi-powered trains. Some will replace rail cars that are 50 years old". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  21. "Amtrak To Transform Rail Travel With $7.3 Billion Investment In State-Of-The-Art Equipment". Amtrak Media. July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  22. "Amtrak signs deal for 83 multi-powered trains. Some will replace rail cars that are 50 years old". Washington Post. July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  23. "Siemens Mobility awarded historic $3.4 billion in contracts from Amtrak". Siemens Mobility. July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  24. Siemens Mobility (February 22, 2019). "Caltrans/ IDOT New Single-Level Passenger Railcars: 'CALIDOT'" (PDF). Next Generation Equipment Committee - 2019 Annual Meeting. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
  25. "Siemens equipment delays aggravate Amtrak capacity issues: Special report".
  26. "Amtrak FY 2022-2027 Asset Line Plan" (PDF). Amtrak. p. 132. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  27. "Brightline unveils Siemens locomotives and coaches". Railway Gazette. London. June 8, 2016.
  28. "All Aboard Florida Selects Siemens as Train Manufacturer" (Press release). All Aboard Florida. September 11, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  29. Brinkmann, Paul (September 11, 2014). "Siemens to build All Aboard Florida trains". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  30. Roustan, Wayne K. (May 19, 2018). "All aboard as Brightline launches fast train service to Miami". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  31. "Brightline train service begins in South Florida". WFTV 9. January 11, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  32. "Trains". Brightline. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  33. "VIA Rail New Corridor Fleet" (PDF). Via Rail / Next Generation Equipment Committee. February 21, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
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