First ACS-64 locomotives, 2013.

At a ceremony held at the Siemens rail manufacturing plant in Sacramento, Calif. on May 13, 2013, Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman unveiled the first of 70 new Amtrak Cities Sprinter locomotives (ACS-64) ordered for use on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) between Washington and Boston and the Keystone Corridor between Philadelphia and Harrisburg.

The ACS-64 is the latest in a long line of distinguished electric locomotives, such as the GG-1 and AEM-7,  that have carried passengers in the Northeast since large sections of the rail corridor were electrified in the 1930s. Once tested at the U.S. Department of Transportation facility in Pueblo, Colo. and on the NEC, the first ACS-64 entered revenue service on February 7, 2014.

Designed to run at speeds up to 125 mph, the dual-cab Cities Sprinters have a peak 8600 horsepower. A regenerative braking system can feed up to 100 percent of the energy generated during braking back to the power grid. Safety is paramount with enhanced crash energy management components such as crumple zones, while a microprocessor system allows for self-diagnosis of technical issues.

Photographer: Chuck Gomez for Amtrak.