Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA announced on Monday a new fleet of railcars will come to the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Metro-North Railroad.
The state-run agency’s finance committee approved the purchase of over 300 new M-9A railcars for both commuter rail lines that bring passengers into and out of NYC. Ultimately, the MTA wants to buy 2,000 new rail cars worth about $10.9 billion as part of its capital plan for 2025-2029.
Officials said 160 cars will go to the LIRR, and 156 cars will go to Metro-North. The modern cars will replace the MTA’s aging fleet on its busy commuter routes.
The new fleet will provide various features and amenities, including glass windows, USB charging ports, and accessibility improvements, including automatic doors for bathrooms.
“New Yorkers deserve a fast, reliable and comfortable transit system. We are delivering that today through the purchase of modern railcars for the LIRR and Metro-North fleets,” Hochul said. “The commuter rails are a lifeline for riders in one of the world’s largest and busiest transit systems — this is how we continue to achieve record on-time performance.”
Officials said the railcars will operate in LIRR electric territories and on the Metro-North Hudson and Harlem lines. They explained that the new cars are needed to replace Metro-North’s M-3 cars, which are beyond their service life.
The cars will also allow the LIRR to retire its M-3 cars that have been operating alongside the opening of busy Grand Central Madison.
“Thanks to record on-time performance and increased service with the opening of Grand Central Madison, LIRR ridership continues to explode,” said LIRR President Rob Free. “Our customers deserve modern railcars, which will result in even more reliable service and improve the customer experience for years to come.”
Benefits for the local economy
Alstom Transportation has the contract for the rail cars. The vehicles will be built at the French company’s Plant 4 in Hornell, NY, sparking “hundreds of new jobs,” state officials said.
According to an article in the Rochester Business Journal, Alstom’s 135,000-square-foot plant is the largest passenger train facility in the country, making stainless steel car body shells.
“The MTA is the biggest railcar purchaser in North America, and we are using innovative methods to bring down costs and delivery time,” Tim Mulligan, chief of the MTA’s rolling stock program, said. “By building on the reliable design of previous cars, we were able to work with the contractor to get things done better, faster, and cheaper.”
Alstom will start delivering the cars in 2029. According to officials, they will first enter LIRR passenger service in 2030, and all cars are planned for delivery by 2032.
