The QSK95 engine for rail. Click to enlarge.

The locomotives will also deploy an exhaust aftertreatment system purpose-designed for locomotive installations, using Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology. This modular system minimizes space claim and improves fuel efficiency, lowering the overall cost of operation. Without exhaust aftertreatment, the QSK95 engine meets Tier 3 locomotive emissions.

The diesel-electric locomotive is uniquely designed based on Siemens’ global rail expertise with input from US passenger rail operators. This new rail equipment can help operators achieve cost savings, while improving reliability and efficiency for its passenger rail service, the partners said. The lighter weight of these locomotives ensures the ability to safely operate the locomotives at speeds of up to 125 mph (201 km/h) more efficiently, requiring less maintenance.

To further boost American manufacturing through investment in rail, the locomotives will be built and assembled at Siemens’ solar-powered transportation manufacturing facility in Sacramento, California. Siemens has also established a diverse base of US rail suppliers representing all sizes of business across the country that can be leveraged as part of the development of future passenger rail locomotives.

Cummins diesel QSK95 engines will be made in Seymour, Indiana. The 95-liter prime mover is the most powerful high-speed 16-cylinder diesel to be installed in a locomotive generating more than 4,000-hp (2,983 kW). The first QSK95-powered freight locomotive, with Siemens AC traction equipment and traction control, will begin commercial service operation in a field test with the Indiana Rail Road Company (INRD) in mid-2014 as the first heavy-hauler repower QSK95 installation and is ready to meet US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier 4 ultra-low emissions regulations.