Amtrak’s locomotives will have a new paint scheme in the coming years, with the first locomotive traveling from California to Delaware to give the public a glimpse of a new look.
“Amtrak is in an exciting new era, with historic fleet investment under the American Jobs Act to purchase more new passenger locomotives and passenger railcars,” said Stephen Gardner, Amtrak president and CEO. “We’re presented with the perfect opportunity to evolve our image as we grow as an essential part of the American transportation network and expand service in more cities across the country. We created this new look for our trains that reflects the transformation underway at Amtrak as we welcome back our loyal customers while introducing new generations to rail travel.”
Called Phase VII as the seventh standard exterior design in the 50-year history of Amtrak, Locomotive 309 features the mainstay Amtrak blue with Amtrak red and midnight blue separated by white arcs. The Amtrak red color on the front provides a bright splash of color, while darker colors were placed in strategic areas to accentuate the sleek form. The white portions of the design, stripes, logos and unit numbers are reflective for added visibility and safety. The design’s use of non-metallic colors is a departure from predominantly silver locomotives, making repair work more efficient.
This design also draws directly from the abstract “rails over the horizon” theme found in Amtrak’s travel mark logo.
Locomotive 309 is the 10th of 75 ALC-42 units being delivered through 2025, an important part of Amtrak’s sustainability initiative as they are more environmentally friendly than their 1990s predecessors. As announced in February, they reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide by more than 89 percent and particulate matter by 95 percent, all while consuming less fuel and reaching a greater top speed than the locomotives being replaced.
These Charger locomotives are Buy America compliant and built at the Siemens Mobility rail manufacturing hub in Sacramento, Calif. It is part of Siemens Mobility’s larger U.S. manufacturing network, with eight facilities, more than 4,000 employees and 2,000 American suppliers.
Locomotive 309 is making its first trip across the country, having departed yesterday as part of the California Zephyr, from Emeryville, Calif., to Chicago. It is scheduled this Sunday to transfer to the Capitol Limited to Washington, D.C. It is destined for our Wilmington, Del., facility, where it will go through an acceptance process before entering service.
