NEWARK, N.J. — The NJ Transit board of directors on Wednesday approved the purchase of 36 Multilevel III electric multiple-unit railcars from Alstom Transportation, increasing to 174 the number of the new railcars ordered since 2018.
The order is part of an option of an existing contract with Alstom, at a cost not to exceed $170 million plus 5% for contingencies, subject to the availability of funds. The new order joins a group of 138 Multilevel III cars already in production — 113 ordered from Bombardier Transit Corp, now part of Alstom, in 2018, and 25 more ordered in 2022. The first of those cars is scheduled to arrive in New Jersey to begin testing later this year.
“These new cars will substantially reduce the overall age of the rail fleet,” NJ Transit CEO Kevin S. Corbett said in a press release, “improving reliability, capacity, and customer comfort.”
The new cars, which will replace Arrow III cars manufactured more than 40 years ago, will have a top speed of 110 mph, and will feature amenities such as USB charging ports and onboard information displays.
