BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will overhaul 27 additional F40 locomotives for its commuter rail fleet, exercising an option on a contract that already has overhauls in progress on 10 of the locomotives.
The MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board approved the move, which will cost an estimated $78.3 million, at an April 29 meeting. The program will now cover all 37 of MBTA’s EMD F40s, which were purchased in two orders: a group of 25 which began service in 1987-88 and an additional 12 which arrived in 1991.
“Our investments in our core system continue to increase and are starting to show real results for our customers,” MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said in apress release. “These locomotives will be crucial to improving daily reliability and allow us to operate the system while we plan for the future of Commuter Rail.”
Motive Power Inc. is performing the overhauls. It delivered the first of the refurbished engines in March (see “MBTA receives first of 10 rebuilt F40s,” Trains News Wire, March 1, 2019). The second is due to return to service this week, with the remaining eight expected to be returned by the end of August.
The first of the 27 additional units is expected to be in service by November 2020 with the order completed by late fall 2021.
The project includes upgrades including remote monitoring and diagnostics, forward-facing and in-cab cameras, and upgraded brake and control systems.