The Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy, NJ Transit Chairman Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, NJ Transit CEO Kevin Corbett, and local officials have marked the beginning of testing of the first of 25 new ALP-45 dual-power locomotives manufactured by Bombardier Transportation, now acquired by Alstom. The locomotive will undergo dynamic qualification and acceptance testing for about six weeks, at which time they will be prepared to enter revenue service.
The ceremony took place on April 6, 2021, at Track A at Newark Penn Station.
“Since day one, our administration has been committed to building a better, more reliable, and sustainable NJ Transit. This locomotive is the first of 25 that will reinvigorate the NJ Transit fleet with new, environmentally friendly equipment. New Jersey commuters deserve only the best, and that is what we are delivering to them today,” Governor Murphy said.
The locomotives will meet the current EPA Tier IV requirements, the most rigorous air quality standard to date for new locomotives, reducing emissions compared to the locomotives to be replaced when operating in diesel mode, and producing zero emissions when operating in electric mode.
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e ALP-45s offer a significant increase in horsepower, acceleration and available head-end power. The ALP-45 dual-power locomotives are designed to operate push-pull passenger train service on both electrified and non-electrified lines at speeds of up to 200 km/h in electric mode and up to 160 km/h in diesel mode.
In July 2020, NJ Transit announced the procurement of 8 additional Bombardier dual-powered locomotives under a USD 70.5 million contract. In 2017, the agency has ordered 17 ALP-45A locomotives from Bombardier. This is the fourth option exercised by NJ Transit which will have a fleet of 60 ALP-45 dual-power locomotives.
The new locomotives will increase the mechanical reliability, improve the on-time performance and operational flexibility while reducing the environmental impact.
Three years ago, NJ Transit decided to renew its entire rolling stock fleet. In two years, the agency begins taking the delivery of 113 new cars from Bombardier. Following the agreement between the two parties in 2019, additional options for up to 886 additional cars can be exercised to replace the old fleet which promises “to significantly improve service and reliability for our customers,” Kevin Corbett said.
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