USA: NJ Transit has exercised options to purchase an additional 200 Alstom Multilevel III double-deck commuter electric multiple-unit cars for $1·055bn and 12 ALP45 electro-diesel locomotives for a maximum of $204m.
‘This investment reflects our unwavering commitment to providing New Jerseyans with safe, reliable and modern public transportation’, said Governor Phil Murphy on September 9. ‘By replacing outdated rail cars with state-of-the-art equipment, we’re not only improving the commuting experience for millions of riders, but also strengthening our economy, reducing emissions and moving toward a more sustainable future.’
Multilevel III cars
The EMU cars are to replace ageing and less reliable single-deck Comet II, IV and V cars, standardising the fleet and increase seating capacity and safety.
Alstom said the Multilevel III vehicles from its Adessia commuter rail portfolio would be able to travel between 10 and 20 times further between critical repairs than the 40-year-old single-level vehicles they will replace, and will also increase capacity by more than 12%. Passenger amenities will include USB charging ports, digital screens and automated audio announcements with route and station information.
NJ Transit has previously ordered 174 Multilevel III coaches. About a third of the total order are powered vehicles, eliminating the need for a locomotive, with a 12-car trainset typically having four powered vehicles to ensure reliability by providing redundancy.
‘These third-generation multi-level trains that we will start delivering to NJ Transit in the coming months are designed with energy efficient features, redundancy and durability to maximise the value of NJ Transit’s fleet over its lifecycle’, said Michael Keroullé, President of Alstom Americas.
There is a remaining option covering 50 more Multilevel III coaches.
Locos
The 12 locomotives from the Traxx family will replace some of NJ Transit’s older Tier I diesel-only locos, enabling the operator to take advantage of overhead electrification where available and use the Tier IV engine elsewhere.
The latest order will take NJ Transit’s ALP 45 fleet to 72 locomotives.
