WSDOT introduces new locomotives in Western Washington
The state Department of Transportation announced Tuesday it will be introducing new state of the art locomotives to the passenger rails in Western Washington. They are set to roll out this week.
“The eight Siemens Charger locomotives are significant upgrades from our existing machines. They meet the strictest Environmental Protection Agency emission standards and are lighter and quieter. They also provide greater rates of acceleration and top speeds even though they’ll only be traveling up to 79 mph on our route,” Barbara LaBoe wrote on WSDOT’s blog.
She added the new trains will be equipped with an onboard computer system that will detect unsafe situations on the rails and stop the train automatically once the system is activated next year.
The public was able to catch a glimpse of the new engines in Seattle earlier this year when the American-made locomotives were undergoing field modifications and acceptance testing. Now complete, the trains will be phased into service for all Amtrak Cascades routes in the coming weeks.
The new engines are part of a $800 million investment WSDOT is making in passenger train services in Washington, LaBoe said on the blog. They will allow Amtrak Cascades to add two daily routes between Seattle and Portland, reduce travel times and improve on-time reliability.
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