Alstom to modernize two Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority rail fleets

An MBTA Green Line light-rail vehicle.

Boston’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has awarded Alstom Transport two rail fleet modernization contracts with a combined value of approximately €170 million. These contracts will be executed at Alstom’s rolling stock manufacturing facility in Hornell, New York. Both projects are scheduled to begin immediately.

An MBTA Green Line light-rail vehicle.

The first project includes the full modernization of 86 articulated light-rail vehicles operating on MBTA’s Green Line, which dates back to the 1980s and transports more than 200,000 passengers daily from Boston’s downtown city center to the surrounding suburbs. The cars will be outfitted with new interior surfaces and with new propulsion and climate control systems. The first modernized Green Line cars are scheduled for delivery in late 2013.

For the second project, Alstom will refit 74 bi-level MBTA commuter rail cars. Works include the overhaul of the brake system components on each vehicle, the installation of new operator control screens, passenger information displays, interior seating, dynamic signage, and upgraded door control mechanisms. A pilot set of 10 bi-level cars will arrive in Hornell in late 2012 and the first modernized cars are scheduled for return to Boston in late 2013. Production will reach a maximum rate of 4 cars per month.

Alstom’s production site in Hornell is the largest of its kind in the United States. The site includes an engineering department as well as car assembly, propulsion and bogie plants. The maintenance division, “Train Life Services,” also ensures parts supply, fleet renovation and condition-based programs.

Guillaume Mehlman, President of Alstom Transport North America stated. “To-date, Alstom has successfully modernized more than 5,000 passenger rail cars across the USA. The know-how and dedication of Alstom teams will give these time-tested rail cars a new lease on lifeand offer MBTA’s passengers superior on-board comfort.”

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority operates the fifth largest network in the United States serving approximately 1.3 million passengers each weekday. The MBTA operates subway, light rail, bus, commuter rail, paratransit, and ferry boat services across eastern Massachusetts.