North America’s first battery- and electric-powered passenger trains to debut on Metro-North
Credit: Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Flickr
The first battery- and electric-powered train cars will debut on Metro-North Railroad, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced this week. On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board is expected to approve 13 new train cars that will run on both battery power and power from overhead electrical wires and provide New Haven line service to Penn Station and four stations in the Bronx, as part of the Penn Station Access project.
“New York’s transportation system sets the standard for clean and reliable transit in North America, and we are further expanding and modernizing our transit system to better connect every community across the state,” Hochul said.
“I am committed to advancing environmentally friendly and clean modes of transportation — that’s how we fight the climate crisis while delivering faster and more efficient service to riders.”
If approved by the MTA board on Wednesday, the 13 new train cars will begin arriving between January 2029 and July 2030, as Gothamist reported.
The new locomotives are expected to resemble the 4,200-horsepower SC42-DM diesel-electric models that Metro-North unveiled in November. Like Metro-North’s diesel trains, the new locomotives will either pull or push coach cars, depending on the direction of travel.
Metro-North will acquire the new locomotives by exercising an option on an existing contract with Siemens Mobility North America, which is already building 33 dual-mode locomotives for the railroad that operate under diesel or third-rail power. The MTA aims to purchase the cars for roughly $305 million, according to agency documents.
The plan is part of the MTA’s Penn Access project, which includes extending Metro-North’s New Haven Line to reach Penn Station and adding four new Metro-North stations in the Bronx, allowing commuters from the East Bronx to benefit from faster rides to Manhattan and Connecticut. The stations are expected to be constructed by 2027.
Last August, the City Council approved a Bronx rezoning targeting the areas around the new Metro-North Stations in Co-op City, Hunts Point, Morris Park, and Parkchester/Van Nest to allow for new housing and commercial space to be built.
“In a few years, Metro-North’s Penn Access service will revolutionize how New Haven Line customers travel around the region, creating a link between communities in the Bronx and employment opportunities in West Midtown and along the New Haven Line in Westchester County and Connecticut,” Catherine Rinaldi, president of the MTA Metro-North Railroad, said.
“What better way to inaugurate this new service than with cutting edge battery-electric locomotives that will set a new standard for environmental friendliness and overall reliability?”
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