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MARC to buy Siemens engines
I have to wonder if the Illinois will be able to hold up their end of this bargain considering the stand off between the governor and the legislature that has resulted in budgetary paralysis with various agencies have to due in order to get paid.
Frankly, they would be better off buying back 8 of their former GP40s.
I believe Illinois was buying Diesels, however correct me if Im wrong.
MARC is buying diesels which will replace the Electrics they now have, plus possible diesels which are a maintenance problem.
The funny thing about this is that MARC could do the same with the Amtrak order for Siemens electrics and add on to that and replace the current electric units with new ones that Amtrak would probably have no problem maintaining…but once again, no foresight.
The advantage of diesel over electric in this case is most if MARC’s routes are in nonelectric territory. If you have someone with a big shop doing maintenance for you electric makes sense as the costs are cheaper. If on the other hand you have 10 oddball units(which is what these units become) and have to maintain an increasingly aging fleet it makes more sense to go to diesels that can be maintained in house with existing facilities. Yes MARC could have bought 10 New electrics.
PS Maryland local decision.
Did EMD, GE, or MPI bid on this contract?
Maybe it’s just me, but I think this is a decision that could end up clogging the NEC with slow-running, slower-accelerating diesel-hauled train.
And let’s sure hope gas price stay low for a long while…
It wasn’t just Illinois in the purchasing contract,Michigan,Missouri,Wisconsin?,and California are all in on a multistate contract for locomotives from Siemens as well a a mult-state contract for bilevel cars for corridor services in each state. Illinois was just named as the point of contact representing on behalf of all the interested states when the bids went out.
So much for government agencies buying American made products.
They are American made in Sacramento, I think.
But the PROFIT goes to a foreign company, thus we transfer more of this country’s net worth over seas. Someday there will be none left to transfer.
Marc really should buy electrics for the Penn lin. Diesel simply has place in electrified territory.