The New Jersey Transit Board of Directors approved the purchase of 17 additional dual-powered locomotives manufactured by Bombardier Transit Corporation, at a total contract authorization of USD 184.5 million, under the 2008 contract with Bombardier Transit Corporation. The new locomotives will allow NJ Transit Rail Operations to retire some of the oldest locomotives in the fleet to increase mechanical reliability, operational flexibility and efficiency.
The ALP45 locomotives will replace NJ Transit’s aging fleet of GP40 and F40-series locomotives, which were initially manufactured in the late 1960s. The older locomotives have reached the end of their service life and have become increasingly more expensive to maintain. In addition, the GP40s and F40s are becoming functionally obsolete as a result of their limited pulling power and ability to provide electrical power to the larger, heavier multi-level passenger coaches.
The ALP45 locomotives are designed to operate push-pull passenger train service on both electrified and non-electrified lines at speeds of up to 125 mph in electric mode and up to 100 mph in diesel mode. The locomotives will meet the current EPA Tier IV requirements, reducing emissions compared to the locomotives to be replaced when operating in diesel mode, and producing no emissions when operating in electric mode. The ALP45s offer a significant increase in horsepower, acceleration and available head-end power over the GP40s they will be replacing.
In 2008, the Board of Directors approved a contract with Bombardier Transit Corporation for the purchase of 26 ALP45 dual-powered locomotives, with an option to purchase up to 63 additional locomotives in the future. In July 2011, NJ Transit purchased 9 additional locomotives, increasing the total number of ALP45s to 35. The first locomotive was delivered in December 2011. The introduction of the dual-powered ALP45s in 2011 marked a first for this technology in the United States.
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