Dive Brief:
- The Chicago commuter rail system, Metra, and rail vehicle manufacturer Stadler debuted a battery-electric train at the American Public Transportation Association conference and expo in Chicago last week.
- Metra has ordered eight of the train sets, which are expected to enter passenger service by 2028, according to a news release. Each train set will consist of four cars with a seating capacity of about 200, a Stadler spokesperson told Smart Cities Dive.
- Metra will be able to deploy the battery-powered trains without adding infrastructure along the right-of-way. Metra plans to introduce the train sets along a route between two stations on the Beverly Branch of the Rock Island Line, a distance of 16.4 miles.
Dive Insight:
Commuter rail operators are exploring battery-electric trains and locomotives.
Caltrain, a commuter rail line that serves the San Francisco Peninsula, electrified 51 miles of its route with overhead catenary wire and will add battery-electric trains to run beyond the wired portion of the route. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is planning to replace diesel-powered trains with battery power on the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line, which serves an environmental justice community. The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority ordered 13 battery-electric passenger locomotives to serve trains on its Metro-North lines, marking the first use of the technology in North America.
A portion of the Metra train set was on display at the expo. The trains, which will be manufactured in Salt Lake City, are capable of speeds up to 90 mph but will be restricted to 79 mph in use, the spokesperson said. The batteries have a range of about 50 miles, he said, which allows the train to make three runs between the LaSalle Street and Blue Island stations. The trains can be recharged at the terminal stations, the spokesperson said.
“These new trainsets are coming at a perfect time,” Northern Illinois Transit Authority Chairman Tom Kotarac said in a statement. “We are excited about the potential for these new trainsets to help increase service and improve regional connectivity, while at the same time reducing regional pollution and noise.”
The train set will be on display at the LaSalle Street Station in Chicago today and tomorrow.
