CHICAGO — Metra would receive $1.5 million for its planned test of battery-electric locomotives on the Rock Island District under the Omnibus Appropriations bill passed by the U.S. Senate, the state’s two senators said in a press release.
The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for action. The Metra funding are part of $182 million for Illinois projects, Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth said.
Earlier this year, Metra’s board approved a contract to convert at least three of its oldest F50PH-3 diesels, and as many as six, to battery-electric operation under a $34.6 million contract with Progress Rail [see “Metra board approves deal …,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 18, 2022]. The initial order was expected to take about3 ½ years.
