Siemens Venture is a type of locomotive-hauled
passenger railroad car
A passenger railroad car or passenger car (American English), also called a passenger carriage, passenger coach (British English and International Union of Railways), or passenger bogie (Indian English) is a railroad car that is designed to ca ...
built by
Siemens Mobility
Siemens Mobility GmbH is a division of Siemens. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens Mobility has four core business units: Mobility Management, dedicated to rail technology and intelligent traffic systems, Railway Electrification, ...
for the North American market. The cars are derived from the
Siemens Viaggio Comfort cars used in Europe, with adaptations for North American operations. The cars entered service with
Brightline
Brightline (reporting mark BLFX) is an intercity rail route in the United States that runs between Miami and Orlando, Florida. Part of the route runs on track owned and shared by the Florida East Coast Railway.
Brightline is the only privat ...
in 2018 and with
Amtrak Midwest (services funded by
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
,
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
,
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
, and
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
) in 2022. They have also been ordered by
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
for national and other state-supported routes (including those in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
,
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
,
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
,
Maine
Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
, and
Vermont
Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...
),
Via Rail
Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada.
As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...
, and
Ontario Northland. The Venture cars will also be used on Amtrak’s Airo trainsets.
History
The Venture dates back to 2014 when All Aboard Florida (now Brightline) purchased five trainsets for its new Brightline service along with ten
Siemens Charger
The Siemens Charger is a family of diesel-electric/ dual-mode passenger locomotives designed and manufactured by Siemens Mobility for the North American market.
There are five variants of the Charger, tailored for different operators and types ...
SCB-40 diesel-electric locomotives. The passenger cars, named the Venture, were derived from the
Siemens Viaggio Comfort cars used in Europe, with adaptations for North American operations. They were built at the Siemens factory in
Florin, California, starting in July 2015. The first trainset was completed in December 2016. Public operations began on January 13, 2018.
In November 2017, a coalition of states with state-supported Amtrak routes ordered 137 Venture railcars through its contractor
Sumitomo Corporation
is one of the largest worldwide '' sōgō shōsha'' general trading companies, and is a diversified corporation. The company was incorporated in 1919 and is a member company of the Sumitomo Group.
It is listed on three Japanese stock exchange ...
. The order included seven trainsets for California and 88 cars for Illinois, Michigan, and Missouri (
Amtrak Midwest) as
married pair
A twin unit, twinset, or double unit is a set of two railroad Railway car, cars or locomotives which are permanently coupled and treated as if they were a single unit. A twinset of cars or coaches can also be called a twin car. In US passenger ...
s and single coaches.
The Ventures were the coalition's second passenger railcar order; the first order of
Next Generation Bi-Level Passenger Rail Cars was canceled after the prototype, built by Sumitomo's subcontractor,
Nippon Sharyo
, formed in 1896, is a major rolling stock, Heavy equipment, heavy equipment, Diesel generator, generator, Special-purpose entity, special purpose vehicle and bridge manufacturer based in Nagoya, Japan. In 1996, it abbreviated its ...
, failed a
buff strength test in August 2015. The first three Venture cars entered testing in February 2020. They were originally planned to enter revenue service in July 2020 but were delayed, not making their first run until February 1, 2022, on a ''
Lincoln Service
The ''Lincoln Service'' is a higher-speed rail service operated by Amtrak that runs between Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri. The train is a part of the '' Illinois Service'' and is partially funded by the Illinois Department of Tra ...
'' train.
On December 12, 2018, Canada's national passenger rail service operator,
Via Rail
Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada.
As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...
, announced that it was purchasing 32 Venture trainsets to replace the entire fleet used on its
Québec City–Windsor Corridor. The first trainset was delivered for testing in 2021. They are expected to enter service in 2022–2024.
In August 2019, the state of Wisconsin used a Federal Railroad Administration grant to purchase six Venture coaches and three cab cars.
The six coaches will be added to the Amtrak Midwest pool while the three cab cars will be used exclusively for ''
Hiawatha
Hiawatha ( , also : ), also known as Ayenwatha or Aiionwatha, was a precolonial Native American leader and cofounder of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both. According to some accounts, he ...
'' trains.
In April 2021, Amtrak announced that they would order 83 trainsets to replace the aging
Amfleet
Amfleet is a fleet of single-level intercity railroad passenger car (rail), passenger cars built by the Budd Company for American company Amtrak in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Budd based the Amfleet design on its earlier Budd Metroliner, Me ...
I fleet and
Metroliner cab cars.
The contract was signed in July 2021 and includes 20 years of after-delivery service and support.
On October 13, 2023, Siemens unveiled their Venture car prototype for the new Amtrak Airo equipment.
Operators
Most Siemens Venture cars (except those for
Amtrak Midwest) are configured as semi-permanently coupled trainsets with
open gangways between cars and
standard couplers on the ends for connecting the trainset to locomotives or other railway equipment.
Amtrak Cascades
Amtrak has ordered eight six-car Venture trainsets for the . They are replacing the
Talgo Series VI trainsets, which the NTSB recommended be replaced "as soon as possible" after the
2017 Washington train derailment
On December 18, 2017, Amtrak ''Cascades'' passenger train 501 derailed near DuPont, Washington, United States. The National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) final report said regional transit authority Sound Transit failed to take steps t ...
. Until the Venture trainsets arrive, Amtrak has been using its
Horizon
The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...
fleet on the route.
Each trainset will consist of five coaches and one cab car. Trains will also have a café for food service along with coach and business class seating. They will be paired with a
Siemens Charger
The Siemens Charger is a family of diesel-electric/ dual-mode passenger locomotives designed and manufactured by Siemens Mobility for the North American market.
There are five variants of the Charger, tailored for different operators and types ...
, of which
WSDOT
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT or WashDOT, both ) is a governmental agency that constructs, maintains, and regulates the use of transportation infrastructure in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. Establi ...
already owns several. The first trainset is scheduled to be delivered in 2025 and enter revenue service in 2026 after final commissioning.
Amtrak Midwest
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
,
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
,
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
, and
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
have ordered 97 Venture cars for the
Amtrak Midwest routes, including the , , , , , , , and .
Of the 97 cars, 68 are built as
married pairs (two cars semi-permanently coupled with open gangways), while the remaining 29 are single (unmarried) cars with traditional
gangways. Half of the married pairs (17) have a café car and an economy coach, while the remaining 17 have a combination business class/economy class coach and an economy-only coach. The business class and café cars have two vestibules each, while the economy coaches have one.
This arrangement—unique among Venture operators—allows trains to be sized to meet the travel demands of individual routes and allows business class seating and cafe cars to be added or removed. Among the 29 single cars are three cab cars with economy seating for exclusive use on ''Hiawatha'' trains.
Amtrak Northeast Corridor
Amtrak has made a firm order for 75 trainsets, which it will brand as the Amtrak Airo,
for intercity routes that operate over its
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...
.
The trainsets will be built in three configurations, tailored to the capacity and propulsion needs of the routes over which they will operate. All trainsets will include an ALC-42E Charger locomotive on one end of the consist and a cab control passenger car on the opposite end. Onboard, there will be a car with a food service area and a mix of Coach Class and Business Class seating.
The initial order for 65 trainsets was later increased to 75 in August 2023, with an option to purchase additional trainsets in the future.
There will be 26 six-car catenary-diesel dual-power trainsets that will include an Auxiliary Power Vehicle (APV). The APV will be the trailer car closest to the locomotive and will include a pantograph, an underfloor transformer to handle the Northeast Corridor's
25 kV,
12.5 kV and
12 kV AC traction power systems, a four-quadrant
chopper, and two powered
trucks
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...
. In electrified territory, the APV will draw power from overhead lines, through the transformer and fed to the four traction motors in the car, and via a DC link cable, to the four traction motors in the locomotive. These trainsets will be used on the , ,
''Hartford Line'', , , , and .
There will also be 32 eight-car catenary-diesel dual-power trainsets, similarly configured, for use on trains, including through trains to Virginia and Springfield, Massachusetts.
Amtrak will also purchase 17 six-car battery-diesel hybrid trainsets, where the trailer car closest to the locomotive will have batteries to supply electricity to traction motors in the locomotive when operating around
New York Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station (also known as New York Penn Station or simply Penn Station) is the main intercity railroad station in New York City and the busiest transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere, serving more than 600,000 passengers ...
, eliminating the need for third rail propulsion on the , , , and .
, 28 cars were in production, with one prototype car substantially completed.
Amtrak San Joaquins

For use on the ''
San Joaquins'' service, the
California Department of Transportation
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an Executive (government), executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the Government of California#State agencies, cabinet-level California State Tran ...
has ordered seven Venture trainsets with seven cars each: five coaches, one café car, and one cab-control car. The ''San Joaquins'' do not provide business class seating. Per each trainset, the cab-control car and two other cars will each only have one
vestibule, while the remaining four cars will each have two. Two coaches per set will have built-in wheelchair lifts for compatibility with the low-platform boarding used at stations on the ''San Joaquins'' routes.
The Venture cars began early service on the ''San Joaquins'' in December 2023,
without café cars and utilizing separate Amtrak NPCU cab-control cars. The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) is investigating the use of unstaffed vending machines to provide food service on their Venture sets; presently, the only food service available on Venture sets are "Snack Stations" — grab-and-go selections of complimentary
snacks
A snack is a small portion of food generally eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home.
Traditionally, snacks are pre ...
and beverages. The cab-control cars, once delivered, will provide additional space for passenger seating and checked baggage. The SJJPA has not yet disclosed a date for the café or cab-control equipment to enter service.
Brightline
Brightline
Brightline (reporting mark BLFX) is an intercity rail route in the United States that runs between Miami and Orlando, Florida. Part of the route runs on track owned and shared by the Florida East Coast Railway.
Brightline is the only privat ...
has received 10 Venture trainsets consisting of four cars: three with economy seating (branded "Smart Service") and one with business class seating (branded "Premium Service", formerly "Select"). Each trainset has two
Siemens Charger
The Siemens Charger is a family of diesel-electric/ dual-mode passenger locomotives designed and manufactured by Siemens Mobility for the North American market.
There are five variants of the Charger, tailored for different operators and types ...
SCB-40 diesel-electric locomotives, one on each end.
Each trainset currently has a capacity of 248 passengers.
Premium Service coaches have fifty seats in a 2×1 layout, while Smart Service coaches have sixty-six seats in a 2×2 layout.
Brightline purchased five trainsets for its initial service between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Five more trainsets were purchased ahead of the extension of the line to Orlando and additional stations opening in Aventura and Boca Raton. An additional 20 cars were purchased to expand the trainsets. They will be extended to five-car sets in 2024 and six-car sets in 2025. Brightline has said that it plans to eventually expand the trainsets to ten cars.
Ontario Northland
In December 2022, the
Government of Ontario
The Government of Ontario () is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. The term ''Government of Ontario'' refers specifically to the executive—political Minister ...
and
Ontario Northland announced a investment to reinstate the ''
Northlander
The ''Northlander'' was a passenger train operated by the provincially-owned Ontario Northland Railway in southern and northeastern Ontario, Canada. In 2012, rail service was discontinued and replaced with express bus service. Rail service will ...
'' passenger service between
Timmins
Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 at the 2021 Canadian census and an estimated population of ...
and
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
. The government announced that it had ordered three, three-car trainsets (two coaches and a cab car) with a food service area, which would be paired with a Charger locomotive.
Via Rail

Via Rail purchased 32 five-car trainsets for its
Quebec City–Windsor Corridor
The Quebec City–Windsor Corridor () is the most densely populated and heavily industrialized region of Canada. As its name suggests, the -long region extends from Quebec City in the northeast to Windsor, Ontario in the southwest. With more tha ...
. Each trainset will have two business class coaches, two economy class coaches, and one cab control car with economy seating.
However, Via Rail says that the configuration is flexible and the railroad may operate shorter or longer trains depending on demand.
Each trainset will be paired with a
Siemens Charger
The Siemens Charger is a family of diesel-electric/ dual-mode passenger locomotives designed and manufactured by Siemens Mobility for the North American market.
There are five variants of the Charger, tailored for different operators and types ...
SCV-42 diesel-electric locomotive.
All seats will be 19 inches wide, with a 2×1 layout in business class and 2×2 in economy class. All cars will be semi-permanently coupled with open gangways, which, compared to the current fleet, are wider and isolated from weather.
Some cars have a galley area, allowing for at-seat food and beverage service across both classes.
References
External links
Siemens Venture trainsets product website
{{Via Rail rolling stock
Amtrak rolling stock
Brightline
Rail passenger cars of the United States