MTA Metro-North Railroad on Feb. 24 announced details of a major expansion of the agency’s railcar fleet, unveiling plans to add new trains that will provide New Haven Line Service to Penn Station and four additional stations in the Bronx.
In a first for North America, the passenger trains will be powered by electric-battery locomotives “offering clean, green zero-emission service,” according to the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The locomotives will generally draw electrical power from catenary, and switch to battery mode for tracks in and around Penn Station where electrical traction power has different characteristics. The Siemens Mobility Charger locomotives were based on the leading locomotive platform in Europe, the Vectron, and the Siemens battery and electric Charger locomotive is the next generation locomotive for North America, MTA noted.
If approved by the MTA Board—as anticipated on Wednesday—13 electric-battery locomotives will be purchased by exercising an option on an existing contract with Siemens Mobility North America, which is already building 33 dual-mode locomotives for Metro-North that operate under diesel or third rail power.