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Siemens Venture

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Siemens Venture
A Siemens Venture railcar in Amtrak California San Joaquins livery.
Siemens Venture railcar outside of the manufacturing facility in Florin, California
The interior of a Siemens Venture trainset operated by Brightline in Miami.
Interior of a Siemens Venture car operated by Brightline.
In service2018–present
ManufacturerSiemens Mobility
Built atFlorin, California
Family nameSiemens Viaggio
Constructed2015–present
Number built937 cars (includes cars on order; see Operators section for details)
Capacity
  • Business: Up to 54
  • Cab (Economy): Up to 62
  • Economy: Up to 74
Specifications
Car length85 ft (25,908 mm)
Width10 ft 6 in (3,201 mm)
Height14 ft (4,268 mm)
Floor height4 ft 3 in (1,296 mm)
Platform height
  • Level boarding: 4 ft (1,219 mm)
  • Step boarding: 8 in (203 mm)
Entry
  • Level (Brightline)
  • Level and step (other operators)
Wheelbase59 ft 6 in (18,136 mm) between truck centers
Maximum speed125 mph (201 km/h)
Weight112,000 lb (50,802 kg)
Coupling systemJanney Type H Tightlock
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Notes/references
[1][2][3][4][5]

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 with Amtrak Midwest (services funded by Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin) in 2022. They have also been ordered by Amtrak for national and other state-supported routes (including those in California, Washington, Oregon, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maine, Virginia, North Carolina, and Vermont), Via Rail, and Ontario Northland. The Venture cars will also be used on Amtrak Airo trainsets.

History

[edit]
A test train in California in July 2020

The Venture dates back to 2014 when All Aboard Florida (now Brightline) purchased five trainsets for its new Brightline service along with ten Siemens Charger SCB-40 diesel-electric locomotives. The passenger cars, named the Venture, were derived from the Siemens Viaggio Comfort cars used in Europe, with adaptations for North American operations. They were built at the Siemens factory in Florin, California, starting in July 2015. The first trainset was completed in December 2016.[6] Public operations began on January 13, 2018.[7][8]

In November 2017, a coalition of states with state-supported Amtrak routes ordered 137 Venture railcars through its contractor Sumitomo Corporation.[9] The order included seven trainsets for California and 88 cars for Illinois, Michigan, and Missouri (Amtrak Midwest) as married pairs and single coaches.[5] The Ventures were the coalition's second passenger railcar order; the first order of Next Generation Bi-Level Passenger Rail Cars was canceled 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[10] but were delayed, not making their first run until February 1, 2022, on a Lincoln Service train.[11]

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.[12] The first trainset was delivered for testing in 2021.[13] They are expected to enter service in 2022–2024.[14]

In August 2019, the state of Wisconsin used a Federal Railroad Administration grant to purchase six Venture coaches and three cab cars.[15][16] The six coaches will be added to the Amtrak Midwest pool while the three cab cars will be used exclusively for Hiawatha trains.

In April 2021, Amtrak announced that they would order 83 trainsets to replace the aging Amfleet I fleet and Metroliner cab cars.[17][18] The contract was signed in July 2021 and includes 20 years of after-delivery service and support.[19][18][20] On October 13, 2023, Siemens unveiled their Venture car prototype for the new Amtrak Airo equipment.[21]

Operators

[edit]

Most Siemens Venture cars (except those for Amtrak Midwest) are configured as trainsets, semi-permanently coupled together with wide open gangways between cars and standard couplers on the ends for connecting the trainset to other railway equipment.[4]

Owner Qty. Notes
Amtrak 156 26 six-car sets, includes cab car and catenary power car
256 32 eight-car sets, includes cab car and catenary power car
102 17 six-car trainsets, includes cab car and battery car
Amtrak Cascades 49 8 six-car sets, includes cab car
Amtrak Midwest 97 34 married pairs, 26 single cars, and 3 single cab cars
Amtrak Gold Runner 49 7 seven-car sets, includes cab car
Brightline 60 10 six-car sets
Ontario Northland 9 3 three-car sets, includes cab car
Via Rail 160 32 five-car sets, includes cab car
Total 938

Amtrak Airo

[edit]
The first Airo trainset for the Cascades being delivered for testing

Amtrak Airo is the brand name for Amtrak's new fleet of trainsets, which pairs Venture cars with a Siemens Charger locomotive and a cab control car. Amtrak plans to deploy 83 Airo trainsets across routes throughout the country.[22] Of these, eight six-car sets are assigned to the Amtrak Cascades service and 75 to intercity routes on the Northeast Corridor.[23] The Cascades sets are scheduled to be the first Airo equipment to enter revenue service, in 2026, followed by Northeast Regional sets in 2027.[22]

Amtrak Midwest

[edit]
A line of Amtrak Midwest Siemens Venture cars in Chicago's 14th Street Coach Yard.

Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin have ordered 97 Venture cars for the Amtrak Midwest routes, including the Blue Water, Hiawatha, Illini and Saluki, Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg, Lincoln Service, Missouri River Runner, Pere Marquette, and Wolverine.[16]

Of the 97 cars, 68 are built as married pairs (two cars semi-permanently coupled with open gangways), while the remaining 29 are single (unmarried) cars with traditional gangways. Half of the married pairs (17) have a café 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 café cars have two vestibules each, while the economy coaches have one.[5] 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 trains, expected to enter service in 2026.

Amtrak Gold Runner

[edit]
Low-platform boarding door on Siemens Venture coach built for state corridor service

For use on the Gold Runner service, the California Department of Transportation has ordered seven Venture trainsets with seven cars each: five coaches, one café car, and one cab-control car. The Gold Runner does not provide business class seating. Per each trainset, the cab-control car and two other cars will each only have one vestibule, while the remaining four cars will each have two. Two coaches per set will have built-in wheelchair lifts for compatibility with the low-platform boarding used at stations on the Gold Runner routes.[5]

The Venture cars began early service on the Gold Runner (then known as the San Joaquins) in December 2023,[24]: 12  without café cars and utilizing separate Amtrak NPCU cab-control cars. The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) is investigating the use of unstaffed vending machines to provide food service on their Venture sets; presently, the only food service available on Venture sets are "Snack Stations" — grab-and-go selections of complimentary snacks and beverages.[25] The cab-control cars, once delivered, will provide additional space for passenger seating and checked baggage. The SJJPA has not yet disclosed a date for the café or cab-control equipment to enter service.

Brightline

[edit]
Siemens Venture trainset operated by Brightline at MiamiCentral

Brightline has received 10 Venture trainsets consisting of four cars: 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.[26][27][28] Each trainset currently has a capacity of 248 passengers.[29] Premium Service coaches have fifty 21-inch-wide (530 mm) seats in a 2×1 layout, while Smart Service coaches have sixty-six 19-inch-wide (480 mm) seats in a 2×2 layout.[30][31]

Brightline purchased five trainsets for its initial service between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Five more trainsets were purchased ahead of the extension of the line to Orlando and additional stations opening in Aventura and Boca Raton. An additional 20 cars were purchased to expand the trainsets. They will be extended to five-car sets in 2024 and six-car sets in 2025.[32] Brightline has said that it plans to eventually expand the trainsets to ten cars.

Ontario Northland

[edit]
Siemens Venture trainset being tested on the Northlander

In December 2022, the Government of Ontario and Ontario Northland announced a CA$139.5 million investment to reinstate the Northlander passenger service between Timmins and Toronto. The government announced that it had ordered three, three-car trainsets (two coaches and a cab car) with a food service area, which would be paired with a Charger locomotive.[33][34] As of April 2026, two of the trainsets have been delivered to Ontario Northland.[35]

Via Rail

[edit]
A Venture cab car of Via Rail

Via Rail purchased 32 five-car trainsets for its Quebec City–Windsor Corridor under a CA$989 million contract awarded in 2018 to Siemens Mobility.[36][37] The fleet entered service beginning in 2022, progressively replacing the previous equipment used in the Corridor.

Each set consists of two business class coaches, two economy class coaches, and one cab control car with economy seating.[36] According to Via Rail, the configuration is flexible and train length may be adjusted based on demand.[37]

Each trainset operates with a Siemens Charger SCV-42 diesel-electric locomotive.[36] Seating is arranged 2×1 in business class and 2×2 in economy class, with seats measuring 19 inches in width. The cars are semi-permanently coupled with open gangways that are wider and better protected from weather exposure than those in the previous fleet. Several cars include a galley area to support at-seat food and beverage service in both classes.[37]

During the winter of 2025–26, the Venture fleet experienced operational issues that reduced availability and led to multiple Corridor cancellations.[38] Some incidents were reported to be associated with winter conditions, including possible snow ingress affecting onboard systems and requiring system restarts. On December 10–11, 2025, a mechanical failure near Brockville, Ontario, delayed approximately 300 passengers for more than 12 hours on a Toronto–Ottawa service. Via Rail stated that it was conducting technical investigations in cooperation with Siemens Mobility, which stated that the trains were designed for reliable year-round operation and supported under a 15-year maintenance agreement valued at approximately CA$23.7 million annually.[39]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Venture Trainsets Brochure" (PDF). Siemens Mobility. 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 27, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Charger Locomotive Brochure" (PDF). Siemens Mobility. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  3. ↑ Siemens Mobility (July 2016). "Brightline Passenger Coaches and PRIIA-Specification" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 30, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  4. 1 2 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.
  5. 1 2 3 4 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 24, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  6. ↑ Hurtibise, Ron (December 14, 2016). "First All Aboard Florida train finished and ready for testing".
  7. ↑ "Happy rails to you: Brightline high-speed trains roll into action". my Palm Beach Post. January 13, 2018. Archived from the original on May 21, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Brightline slates fares and service date". Railway Age. January 11, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Caltrans Amends Multimillion Dollar, Multi-State Railcar Contract" (Press release). Caltrans. November 8, 2017. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017.
  10. ↑ 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 22, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  11. ↑ "News photo: First revenue run for new Amtrak cars". Trains News Wire. February 1, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Via Rail Selects Siemens Canada to Replace its Quebec-Windsor Corridor Fleet". Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Bombardier hit with 'astonishing' Via Rail blow amid NJ Transit win". BNN Bloomberg. December 12, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  14. ↑ Arsenault, Julien (December 12, 2018). "Via Rail places $989-million train order with Siemens for key rail corridor". Financial Post. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  15. ↑ "WisDOT awarded federal grant for new passenger train cars". Wisconsin Department of Transportation. August 23, 2019. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  16. 1 2 "Amtrak Five-Year Asset Line Plans Fiscal Years 2020–2025" (PDF). amtrak.com. p. 33. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Amtrak Announces Siemens as Preferred Bidder for New Equipment". Amtrak Media. April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  18. 1 2 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.
  19. ↑ "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.
  20. ↑ "Siemens Mobility awarded historic $3.4 billion in contracts from Amtrak". Siemens Mobility. July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  21. ↑ Lustig, David (October 13, 2023). "Siemens debuts first Amtrak Airo passenger car". Trains. Kalmbach Media. Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  22. 1 2 "Meet the New Airo Fleet". Amtrak Media. February 10, 2026. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Introducing Our New Trains: Amtrak Airo". Amtrak. December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  24. ↑ Paul, Joe Sr.; Welsh, Michael; Kraft, Michael (February 2024). "Amtrak New Fleet Acquisition Updates" (PDF). Next Generation Corridor Equipment Pool Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2024.
  25. ↑ "San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority 2025 Business Plan Update Public Review Draft" (PDF). San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority. March 11, 2025. pp. 9, 55. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Brightline unveils Siemens locomotives and coaches". Railway Gazette International. London. June 8, 2016. Archived from the original on March 12, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  27. ↑ "All Aboard Florida Selects Siemens as Train Manufacturer" (Press release). All Aboard Florida. September 11, 2014. Archived from the original on May 20, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  28. ↑ Brinkmann, Paul (September 11, 2014). "Siemens to build All Aboard Florida trains". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  29. ↑ Roustan, Wayne K. (May 19, 2018). "All aboard as Brightline launches fast train service to Miami". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Brightline train service begins in South Florida". WFTV 9. January 11, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Trains". Brightline. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Brightline Hits Record 130 MPH, Orders 20 More Cars To Increase Capacity". The Next Miami. March 7, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  33. ↑ "Ontario Taking Next Steps to Bring Back Northeastern Passenger Rail". Government of Ontario (Press release). December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  34. ↑ MacMillan, Sarah (December 15, 2022). "Province buying 3 trains for return of Northlander service". CBC News. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  35. ↑ "Government of Ontario begins testing Northlander trains". Mass Transit. April 13, 2026. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
  36. 1 2 3 "VIA Rail New Corridor Fleet" (PDF). Via Rail / Next Generation Equipment Committee. February 21, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  37. 1 2 3 "New Corridor Fleet". Via Rail. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  38. ↑ "Siemens failures force VIA Rail cancellations". Transport Action Canada. February 7, 2026. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
  39. ↑ Faucher, Olivier (January 23, 2026). "En panne «plusieurs fois par mois»: l'hiver fait la vie dure aux nouveaux trains de VIA Rail" [Breakdowns "several times a month": winter is taking its toll on VIA Rail's new trains]. Le Journal de Montréal (in Canadian French). Archived from the original on January 24, 2026. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
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