The passenger rail operator MTA Metro-North Railroad (MNR) ordered its first 27 Siemens Dual mode locomotives in 2020. At the end of September 2023, six more locomotives were added to the fixed order. They will replace the so-called GE Genesis locomotives in service and will be delivered in 2027.
The dual mode of these locomotives will enable them to be powered from the third rail and enter additional areas in New York City, where diesel locomotives are banned. Under 3rd rail, they will reach a maximum speed of 130 km/h, while in the diesel mode, the 4.2 MW engine can provide power to a maximum speed of 177 km/h. Funded by the Federal Transit Administration grant, MTA has a framework agreement with Siemens Mobility to buy 138 of these Sacramento-made locomotives.
MNR also considers their future use on the Empire Service Corridor, a 742 km line leading from Penn Station in NYX to Niagara Falls. MTA is the largest US commuter rail system with 620 km of track and 122 stations.
