Brightline公司５月１日宣布，西门子交通已被指定为“首选投标人”，为美国加州高铁项目Brightline West 建造列车组。该合同将包括由 10 列“美国先锋 220”(AP 220，时速350) 列车组组成的车队，这些列车将被制造、交付到内华达州并进行测试，以支持 Brightline West 在 2028 年启动初步运营。
BrightlineWest 是一个新的高速项目，将连接南加州、洛杉矶与内华达州的拉斯维加斯，已经于今年4月份破土动工。
具体选择以最终协议的签订为依据，具体标准包括价格、制造进度、列车性能（例如速度和行驶时间）、ADA合规性、乘客设施和总载客量。此外，该标准还考虑了与加州高铁项目的未来互联互通性。这些列车将按照所有适用的“购买美国货”要求建造。
该合同涵盖包括为期 30 年的车辆维护服务，将在 Brightline West 位于内华达州斯隆的车辆维保基地中执行。工作人员将在这里进行例行的日常维护，以及长期的大修和维修。
通过此次入选，西门子将推出代表其新一代创新高速技术的AP220列车，具有最新的乘客体验、尖端的数字技术和迭代的牵引系统，基于由在欧洲成熟运营验证 Velaro 平台的演变，专为美国市场打造。AP220将通过美国供应链引入最先进的技术，刺激美国建立一个新的产业，与拥有数十年高铁的国家相媲美。西门子将建立一个新工厂来生产 AP220，并将在合同敲定后宣布美国第一个真正的高铁生产中心的位置。
AP 220将是美国制造的第一套真正的高速列车，设计运行速度高达220英里/小时（时速超350公里）。推进系统、更轻的重量和空气动力学形状使其比其他高速列车更高效。AP220采用超宽车体，专为实现无与伦比的乘客舒适度而设计，旨在成为市场上最无障碍的列车，超出了 ADA 要求，并允许坐轮椅的乘客轻松地在车厢之间移动。七节车厢编组的列车将运载434至450名乘客，具体取决于最终配置。在获得美国联邦投资加州高铁项目近31亿美元之后，2024年4月22日，Brightline West庆祝项目破土动工。该系统全长218英里，将建在 15 号州际公路的中间。
参阅资料
BRIGHTLINE WEST SELECTS SIEMENS TO MANUFACTURE HIGH SPEED RAIL TRAIN SETS
LAS VEGAS (May 1, 2024) – Today, Brightline announced that Siemens Mobility (Siemens) has been designated the “preferred bidder” to build train sets for the Brightline West high-speed rail project that will connect Las Vegas and Southern California. The contract will include a fleet of ten “American Pioneer 220” (AP 220) train sets to be manufactured, delivered to Nevada and tested to support Brightline West’s timeline of initiating service in 2028.
Today’s announcement came after a multi-year competitive procurement process conducted among multiple global competitors. The selection, which is subject to the conclusion of definitive agreements, is based on specific criteria that included price, manufacturing schedule, train performance (e.g. speed and travel time), ADA compliance, passenger amenities and total passenger capacity. In addition, the criteria considered future interoperability with the California High-Speed Rail project. The trains will be built in accordance with all applicable “Buy America” requirements.
This selection includes a 30-year rolling stock maintenance contract that will be performed at Brightline West’s Vehicle Maintenance Facility in Sloan, NV. At this site, crews will perform routine daily maintenance, as well as long-term overhauls and repairs. This will generate high-paying jobs performing train maintenance activities on a permanent basis.
With the selection, Siemens will introduce the AP220 trainsets which represent a new generation of innovative high-speed technology, featuring the latest in passenger experience, cutting-edge digital technology, and a revolutionary propulsion system, built specifically for the U.S. market. These trains are an evolution of the proven Velaro platform, currently operating in Europe. The AP220 will introduce state-of-the-art technology through an American supply chain spurring the United States to establish a new industry rivaling countries that have had high-speed rail for decades. Siemens will establish a new facility to build the AP220 and will announce the location of America’s first true high-speed rail production center when the contract is finalized.
“Just as we redefined train travel with our trainsets for Brightline Florida, we are excited to pioneer this new frontier of manufacturing and development for Brightline West,” said Michael Reininger, Brightline’s CEO. “The momentum we are building, will culminate in new jobs and a new supply chain that will establish the foundation for a high-speed rail industry from coast to coast.”
“We are excited to work with Brightline to transform rail in America. The high-speed chapter of America’s rail story will build on Siemens’ 40 years of designing, building, testing, delivering and maintaining trains in the United States,” stated Marc Buncher, Siemens Mobility North America CEO. “On behalf of our 4,500 rail employees across the United States, we are excited to be selected to build and maintain America’s first true high-speed trains, which will feature some of the world’s most innovative high-speed rail technology. When they enter service, it will be one of the most pivotal moments in the history of American rail.”
The AP 220 will be the first true high-speed train sets to be built in America and are designed for operational speeds of up to 220 miles per hour. The propulsion system, lighter weight and aerodynamic shape makes it more efficient than other high-speed trains. The AP220 features an ultrawide carbody designed for unparalleled passenger comfort and designed to be the most accessible train on the market, exceeding ADA requirements and allowing for guests in wheelchairs to move with ease from car to car. The seven-car trains will carry between 434-450 passengers, depending on final configuration and can make the trip in less than two hours.
On April 22, 2024, Brightline West celebrated its groundbreaking. The 218-mile system will be constructed in the median of the I-15 and is based on Brightline’s vision to connect city pairs that are too short to fly and too far to drive. The system will have stops in Las Vegas, Nev., as well as Victor Valley, Hesperia and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. The $12 billion project was recently awarded $3 billion in funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. The rest of the project will be privately funded.
Brightline partnered with Siemens Mobility to develop the Venture series train sets, which debuted in 2018 on the company’s Florida system.
