Cummins ships first QSK95 engine for the rail market

Cummins Inc. announced Oct. 2, 2015 that the first production 95-liter, 16-cylinder QSK95 engine built to a rail specification has been shipped.

The engine, rated at 4,400 hp (3,281 kW) will be delivered to the Siemens manufacturing facility in Sacramento, Calif., where it will be installed into a Charger® locomotive. The Charger—a diesel-electric passenger locomotive—will be put into service for a five-state, 35-unit initial order with the departments of transportation of Illinois, California, Michigan, Missouri and Washington. The Charger locomotives will also power the trainsets for All Aboard Florida.

Capable of supporting a top locomotive speed of 125 mph (201 kph), the QSK95 achieves the highest output of any 16-cylinder high-speed diesel, Cummins says. The combination of Cummins latest-generation Modular Common Rail Fuel System (MCRS) with quad-turbocharging allows the engine to deliver reduced noise and excellent response in a smaller footprint than medium-speed diesels traditionally used in locomotives. Integrated Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) exhaust aftertreatment makes the QSK95 capable of achieving the ultra-low emissions required of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier 4 standards.

“This is a very exciting and important time for passenger rail in North America,” said Melina Kennedy, General Manager – Global Rail and Defense Business. “Cummins is pleased to partner with Siemens to bring innovative and dependable new technologies to the market.”