CHICAGO — Metra will receive a federal grant of almost $170 million — the largest discretionary grant in its history — to buy battery-powered trainsets, the commuter rail operator announced Tuesday.
The grant under the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program was approved last week by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and the Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Committee. It will support the purchase of up to 16 of the battery powered multiple-unit trainsets, which would be a new form of equipment for Metra. The commuter operator issued a Request for Proposal for such equipment in September 2022 and is currently reviewing the proposals it received.
“We think zero-emission trainsets could be an exciting and positive addition to Metra’s fleet for a variety of reasons,” Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski said in a press release. “Beyond the environmental and noise reduction benefits, they also offer savings in energy consumption as well as better efficiency, flexibility, and reliability. Along with our other initiatives, they would continue to make Metra a responsible and effective leader in green energy technology.”
Battery-electric passenger equipment is currently in use in Europe and Australia, Metra says. Such systems can operate solely on rechargeable batteries or through a mix of catenary power and use of batteries where overhead wires are not available. The permanently or semi-permanently coupled trainsets would have lower rider capacity than Metra’s traditional diesel-powered trains, but accelerate and brake more quickly. They could be particularly well suited to service during off-peak period, Metra believes, and could play a significant role in its goal of providing so-called regional rail service, with more frequent all-day operations. The commuter operator also says the new equipment would allow it to retire some of its oldest, most polluting locomotives, as well as some of its oldest railcars.
Metra says it would likely introduce the equipment on its Rock Island District. This would be its second effort to introduce battery equipment on the Rock Island; an earlier plan to convert F40 locomotives to battery power, most likely for use on the Rock Island’s Beverly Branch, stalled when Metra and Progress Rail were unable to reach agreement on a contract for the conversions [see “Metra faces delay in plan for battery conversion …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 20, 2023]
A safe answer to clean energy for railroad electrification, as well as electrification for all other needs and purposes is “Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors” (LFTR). There is much online info written about LFTR that anyone can research.
Some of the crosstown horsecar lines in Manhattan converted to battery cars rather than pay for the expensive underground conduit required by NY City in Manhattan.
Crosstown wasn’t that far to go and they could recharge at each end.
Everything old is new again!
There were battery operated streetcars in the cities back in the 19th century, and these were perceived as a clean alternative to horse-drawn streetcars.
Americans would love to live in 1950. The 50’s were not that great but fossils have short memories. Americans need to travel and see how the real world operates.
EV works, Europe has been using it and tests in Canada (Quebec) this year were very encouraging. But there was no clouds of black smoke so very disappointing to ICE folks.
Exactly Terry!
“Americans need to travel and see how the real world operates.”
They do. Our military is the most traveled group of citizens in the world. They see how the real world operates with wars, corruption, terrorism, murder and graft.
And after they come home, those “fossils” still file their taxes on time, pay their parking tickets without bribing, or being threatened by a gang, and still have their day in court to get jurisprudence. They can take their kids to the clinic for their immunizations without paying off a medical pimp first.
So before you espouse the real world, perhaps some context is required on just how “real” it really is.
John, Mr. Warner lives a sheltered life here in Canada and all of his posts are always critical of Americans.
Mr. Landey, mind if I add a few other things?
What about maintenance expense? This equipment will introduce new technology to METRA requiring new service/support equipment. Not to mention new training for personnel. Are these new expenses accounted for at this point?
What about safety? Battery packs can and do short-out. The results can be quite spectacular! They also create injury potential due to the gases produced. What about the HAZMAT capabilities of METRA and nearby community fire departments? Even the simplest of accidents involving battery-powered vehicles creates a HAZMAT response.
Finally, is METRA getting an “environmental pass” from compliance with “Buy American” requirements usually associated with transit equipment?
Seems those are all questions to ask METRA and not a group comment. You would probably get your questioned answered by those that have the information in front of them.
Sorry Charles, technologies change. Steam had a good hundred year run and then diesel had the next hundred years, but we are moving into the next phase.
These trains will have teething problems, but look how fast hybrids and electrics have come along to take a good share of the auto market.
The vehicles have no tail pipe so technically they are emissions-free, but of course the electricity has to be produced somewhere.
I’m excited about the prospect of electrifying future passenger routes without the need to string cat over the entire line, but perhaps only sections.
Lastly, financial support for these trains is not solely a subsidy for Metra riders, but benefits everyone who breathes.
EVs constituted 6% of all sales of new cars in the US in 2022.
Anyone who actually believes battery-storage is zero emissions needs to go back to third grade in elementary school. (Or anyone who votes for the politicians who make that claim.)
Secondly, with all of METRA’s many needs (or CREATE’s many needs) $170 Million is dumped into an unproven, inefficient, and environmentally destructive technology, incompatible with METRA’s other trainsets, needing to be supported with its own infrastructures for maintenance and charging (and daily hostling).
Thirdly, this is one more subsidy of METRA from tax money. Which I’m not opposed to. I myself am a METRA customer on occasion. My point is, bundle all the various subsidies into one bucket for the sake of transparency. For example, if I buy a METRA ticket for $11.50, disclose the total amount above and beyond that comes from the taxpayers, local state and federal.
Four: Battery storage vehicles are the heaviest of all formats. What is the impact on track maintenance?
Wee story Charles,
When we were in Scotland a couple of weeks ago, they had one of the largest rainfalls in decades, shut down the entire Scotrail network on the 7th and half resumed on the 8th so we had to take a coach back to Glasgow.
The coach was 100% electric made in China, very comfortable and the acceleration was just like a car.
As you looked around, EV double deckers, EV garbage trucks, EV mini excavators and site dumpers. They have these low emission zones in the larger city’s so it’s forcing the issue.
Then you dig a little deeper, all government subsidized to a large amount. What I found a little disturbing is Scotland has 10% of the population living in extreme poverty, so over 5000000 people and yet government is willing to have all the money to subsidize or even buy EV’s. The majority of the EV stuff was owned by the local councils.
And electricity costs, in the flat we stayed in for a few days, there was a display to show costs,;
£1.32 for one KWH, this is what green energy does for your hydro bill, $2 loonies vs 10 cents here in Ontario.
Charles, I’ve not done a true comparison on cost, I used power costs vs all in. So all in Ontario at my location;
14.8 cents vs Scotland at £1.32 ($2.19 CDN) per KWH.
Jim — Thanks for these notes.
In one of his first two terms US President Barack H. Obama promised that under his policies, electricity rates would “necessarily skyrocket”. In his third term in office (since January 20, 2021) Mr. Obama is continuing his quest.
Despite Mr. Obama’s strident efforts, we’re not yet Scotland.
I have zero use for your Prime Minister and even less (far less) use for my president. The good news is that two of the developed world’s worst leaders, the Prime Minister of New Zealand and the leader of Scotland (I don’t recall her title) both have been bounced from office. Good riddance. It will take a decade in each country to recover from their totalitarian socialist policies. Here in America it will take even longer, especially in that the opposition (led by the insane Donald Trump) isn’t an alternative.
Mr. Landey: Kindly keep your political views out of Trains. We all get it that you hate Mr. Obama and love the Constitution-ignoring, woman-grabbing insurrectionist. Leave it out. Thanks from all of us.
Matthew, you could do your own part in this discussion by reading the second half of my last sentence.
METRA is a political entity, EVs are a political policy, therefore I’ll talk politics. You are free to ignore my posts or to disagree with my posts. But you aren’t free to distort my position about Mr. Trump which I spelled out in plain English.
“…is dumped into an unproven, inefficient, and environmentally destructive technology,…” according to Charles. Take it for what it’s worth, the South East Wisconsin Curmudgeon Club leader knows all and sees all. Never mind that the rest of the World (including Communist countries) are doing laps around the United States in transportation inventiveness and application.
MARK R. — I don’t disagree with you at all. Of course the rest of the world has better intercity trains than we do (except Canada) and better local transit. I’ve never said otherwise. Of course we can learn from Western Europe, or Asia, or probably even Ukraine.
I just don’t believe that battery storage rail is a solution. Or my neighbor’s battery-storage Mustang. It’s a fine car, a brilliant technology. I don’t see how it helps the environment or saves energy or makes the air any cleaner. And I’m hardly the one who thinks that way. My wife, who’s no curmudgeon and no conservative, agrees with me 100%.
Signed, Your Favorite Curmudgeon from Southeast Wisconsin, Southeast Michigan, Southeast Massachusetts.
Well, I learned something new today.
Curmudgeon, had to google it.
Nothing will ever replace the steam engine. And no one should ever try anything new…….