New locomotives are now serving Amtrak customers in the Midwest. The U.S.-built, Midwest-powered, Amtrak-maintained units operate on state-sponsored services in Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin. These Siemens Charger locomotives please customers with enhanced smoothness, speed capability and safety features – along with reduced exhaust emissions.
They carry the new AMTRAK MIDWEST logo to promote the five-state network of connecting trains with a robust reservations system. Iowa participated in the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission (MIPRC) working together to implement a 21st Century passenger system but withdrew in 2012. Iowa needs to rejoin the MIPRC and be integral part of the system.
These 33 locomotives are deployed from Chicago on trains that served more than 2.6 million Amtrak customers in the last year. Those trains are Lincoln Service, Illini/Saluki and Illinois Zephyr/Carl Sandburg to and from Downstate Illinois; Hiawatha Service in Illinois and Wisconsin; Wolverine Service/Blue Water/Pere Marquette to and from Michigan; and Missouri River Runner between Kansas City and St. Louis. Service on the former Black Hawk route to Northwest Illinois, Southwest Wisconsin and Northeast Iowa and further to Waterloo/Cedar Falls is a missing spoke from the Chicago hub.
Here’s information on next generation power for Amtrak trains.
https://www.idothsr.org/pdf/amtrak%20midwest%20locomotive%20handout.pdf