HARTFORD, Conn. — The Connecticut Department of Transportation has placed a $93 million order for 25 un-powered M-8 railcars, the Connecticut Post has reported. The order enables the state to plan retirement of its entire 337-car fleet of aging cars.
“They will be much like coach cars, with all the same bells and whistles of the other M-8s, except the traction motors,” said Marjorie Anders, a Metro-North spokeswoman. Metro-North operates Connecticut’s commuter service to New York City [See “Diesels Under the Wire,” “City Rail,” September 2011].
The order enables the state to cancel a planned renovation of its M-4 and M-6 railcars, as those cars will now be retired. That program was to cost tens of millions of dollars.
The agreement includes an option for 10 to 25 additional cars.