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| Metro-North New Haven Line on track for new cars (219397) | |||
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Metro-North New Haven Line on track for new cars |
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Posted by Dutchrailnut on Wed Feb 22 08:42:04 2006 Metro-North New Haven Line on track for new carsTHE JOURNAL NEWS (Original Publication: February 22, 2006) New M8 trains How many: 350 cars (100 to expand the fleet, 250 replacements) Estimated cost: $3 million per car, or about $1.05 billion Why so expensive: Dual power, third rail and catenary line Who pays: Connecticut, 65 percent; Metro-North Railroad, 35 percent Proposals due: April 13 Bid awarded: End of 2006 Arrival date: First cars, end of 2008 or early 2009 After putting up for years with worn-out, deteriorating rail cars, New Haven Line riders could wind up with the most comfortable seats in the Metro-North Railroad fleet, but they'll have to wait awhile longer to get them. The railroad wants the new M8 rail cars — scheduled to arrive in late 2008 or early 2009 — to include the best elements of the latest M7 cars on the Harlem and Hudson lines, but none of those trains' design bloopers. That means passengers will have sealed traction motors and electrical systems housed inside the cars, to keep them going during and after storms. They'll also have large, bright windows, headrests for everyone and vacuum-sealed holding tanks to keep toilet odors at bay. What they won't have are the armrests that catch and rip M7 passengers' coats and pants pockets, costing the railroad more than $30,000 for repairs and riders' goodwill. But the best news for New Haven Line riders — an average total of 55,818 on weekdays — may be that the new cars will be six inches wider than the line's current M2 model, built in the 1970s. That could lead to train envy from the Harlem and Hudson lines' riders, whose biggest complaint about the M7s has been their cramped seating. The M7s are two inches slimmer than their predecessors, putting passengers in closer quarters whether they're seated or passing through the aisle. The M7 seats also are an inch closer to the seat in front. The reason the M8s can be wider than the M7s is because they're only being built for Metro-North's New Haven Line — the only one that must employ two different kinds of power on different parts of the line, third rail and catenary. As Metro-North President Peter Cannito noted, the M7s were built under a dual contract with Long Island Rail Road, which saved money but meant that all trains had to be designed to fit through the narrowest LIRR tunnels. "We're going to address all the issues in the M8s," Cannito said. "People want smokers and lounge chairs, and they want all this for about $2." While Cannito said Metro-North couldn't please everyone, and wouldn't be putting lounge chairs in the new train cars — forget about smoking cars — the railroad does plan to make the middle seat more attractive, probably by making it larger. The new cars likely will have close to 100 seats, fewer than the M2's 124 because some space will be taken by electrical components and a handicapped-accessible bathroom. As a result, the railroad will have to buy more cars, both to replace the existing, tired-out rolling stock and to expand the fleet. Proposals for the next generation of New Haven Line trains are due April 13. The three interested bidders are Bombardier, which designed the M7s; Kawasaki and Siemens. "We need these cars," Cannito said. "We actually needed them yesterday." To make sure the new trains please passengers, the railroad has had nine focus groups with riders, and several more are planned. In two-hour sessions at the offices of a market research firm in Stamford, Conn., the railroad has quizzed intrastate and interstate riders, daily commuters, employees and discretionary riders on their likes and dislikes about the current cars and what they'd like to see in the new ones. They've even reviewed color schemes. "What they don't like is as important as what they do like," said Cesar Vergara, a rail car designer for Jacobs Civil Inc. of New York City, a consultant to the railroad who listened in as one focus group last week ripped into the condition of the current New Haven Line's rail cars. "It would be great to have this much leg room," Vergara said, spreading his arms wide. "You have a certain requirement for a certain number of seats, and combine that with the requirement for (handicapped access). One bathroom takes nine seats. The rail car is 84 feet long and 10.5 feet wide. There is no magic wand. We want at least 100-and-some people to sit. The result is perceived by the passenger to be too tight a fit. In the case of the M8, we're going to do the best we can." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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