The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) unveiled new state-of-the-art 4,200-horsepower locomotives that will upgrade and replace Metro-North Railroad’s existing fleet of locomotives used for trains serving Poughkeepsie, Southeast, Danbury and Waterbury. Known by the model number SC42-DM, the new locomotives will provide customers with more reliable service and will be friendlier to the environment.
The new locomotives will travel much farther under electric power that the current fleet of locomotives they will replace, the P32s. Those operate under electric power only in the four miles in the tunnel in and out of Grand Central Terminal, but the new locomotives are expected to operate in electric mode the entire 102 miles of Metro-North’s third rail territory, which extends to Croton-Harmon, Southeast and Pelham. The new locomotives are rated Tier IV compliant, slashing airborne pollutants by more than 85% while they are operating in diesel mode.
Enhanced reliability is made possible by new state-of-the-art monitoring and diagnostic systems that allow crews to spot any possible problems quickly.
“These beautiful new locomotives are part of creating the best customer experience every day on every ride on Metro-North and reaffirm our commitment to run the most reliable service possible,” said Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi. “Taking public transportation is one of the best ways to address climate change, and I look forward to the environmental benefits that will result when these locomotives go into service early next year.”
“These are the first of many new locomotives that will further improve Metro-North’s service and reliability,” said MTA Chief of Rolling Stock Program Tim Mulligan. “Replacing our rolling stock is a major priority of the 2025–2029 Capital Plan, and we’re using innovative methods in a competitive market to purchase 2,000 new cars across the MTA.”
“As the first dual mode offering from Siemens Mobility in North America, these locomotives for Metro-North are a sustainable alternative to transform rail in New York,” said Marc Buncher, CEO, Siemens Mobility North America. “With our partners at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Metro-North Railroad, and our Siemens Mobility team across the country, including our team in New York City, I look forward to seeing these modern, sustainable and innovative locomotives connecting passengers across the New York Metropolitan Region and Connecticut.”
The first two locomotives unveiled are part of an eventual fleet of 33. Commensurate with levels of service in the diesel segments of the railroad, 27 of the locomotives are funded by the MTA and six are funded by the Connecticut Department of Transportation. All will undergo testing and the first two are expected to be placed into passenger service in early 2025.
The locomotives are being built by Siemens Mobility, Inc., in Sacramento, California, under a $414 million contract awarded by Metro-North in March 2021. The procurement of the locomotives, design reviews, test coverage and vehicle inspection services were supported by STV.
The arrival of these first two locomotives, Nos. 301 and 302, is a significant milestone in the new locomotives program, marking the second phase of the locomotive qualification testing. Phase 1 takes place in Pueblo, Colorado, where the overall dynamic performance of the locomotive is validated. In Phase 2, the locomotives’ performances will be tested in the Metro-North operating environment.
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