July 15, 2026 - TRA Newswire -
Five brand new 260,000 pound locomotives that will power trains on the Trinity Railway Express are in the finishing stages at Siemens Mobility in Sacramento, California and are expected to arrive at their new home in Texas this September.
The five Charger locomotives are intended to replace the oldest units in the existing TRE fleet.
The Siemens Charger is a family of passenger locomotives built by Siemens for the North America market. The Charger family has several variants for specific operators and service types. They include long-distance service on Amtrak, intercity and regional rail service, and have power sources that include diesel, overhead wire, third rail and battery.
The TRE contracted for the five engines in February 2024 for use between Dallas and Fort Worth on its regional rail service. TRE has the option to purchase up to six additional locomotives under the contract.
The contract issued to Siemens Mobility for the purchase of five charger locomotives was for $63,035,700, plus a 5% contingency of $3,151,785, for a total authorized amount not to exceed $66,187,485. The purchase is part of DART’s Systemwide Modernization Program to enhance safety, reliability, accessibility, and the customer experience for riders who rely on transit to get to jobs, services, and education.
The SCD-42E version Charger is powered by a Cummins 16-cylinder QSK95 4-stroke high speed diesel engine, which meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's stringent Tier 4 emissions standards, which took effect in 2015.
Charger locomotives have been in service since 2017 and are often paired with Venture single-level passenger cars, although on the TRE the engines will be in a push-pull mode with bi-level passenger cars.
Photo credit: Trinity Railway Express, locomotive shown at Siemens Mobility plant at Sacramento CA