As of April 19, 222 M-8 railcars have been delivered and 200 have successfully completed testing and have been placed into service, the Connecticut Department of Transportation and Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced.
The milestone marks the halfway point for the 2009 purchase of 405 M-8 railcars, which are manufactured by Kawasaki Rail Car Inc. at its U.S. headquarters and manufacturing facility in Yonkers, N.Y.
About 54 percent of all New Haven Line weekday trains and nearly 80 percent of all weekend trains use the M-8 railcars. Deliveries continue at a rate of about 10 per month, according to the DOT.
Since the first M-8 railcars entered into service in March 2011, state DOT and MTA officials have touted their improved reliability compared to the M-2, M-4 and M-6 models. Those range in service time from nearly 40 years for some M-2s to 20 years for some M-6s.
The cost of the railcars, which average slightly over $2 million each, is shared by the DOT and the MTA.
“Connecticut is making unprecedented investments in the New Haven rail commuter system, the busiest line in the country,” said James P. Redeker, commissioner of the DOT, in a prepared statement. “We have worked hard to make our trains safer, more convenient and more attractive, and our customers have been overwhelmingly positive in their feedback on the new cars.”
