M7 (railcar)

M7
M7
	LIRR M7 #7824 arriving at Plandome
	Metro-North M7A stopped at Dobbs Ferry station
In service	M7: 2002–present; M7A: 2004-present;
Manufacturer	Bombardier Transportation
Built at	La Pocatière, Quebec, Canada + Plattsburgh, New York, US)
Replaced	All remaining M1s ; All remaining ACMUs
Constructed	1999–2006
Number built	1,172 cars; Long Island Rail Road: 836 cars; Metro-North Railroad: 336 cars;
Number scrapped	M7: 8; M7A: 2[ citation needed ];
Formation	Married pairs
Fleet numbers	LIRR: 7001–7836; MNCR: 4000–4335;
Capacity	110 seated (A car); 101 seated (B car);
Operators	MTA (LIRR and MNCR)
Specifications
Car body construction	Stainless steel
Car length	85 ft (25,908 mm)
Width	10 ft 6 in (3,200 mm)
Height	13 ft 3 in (4,039 mm)
Floor height	4 ft 3 in (1,295 mm)
Wheel diameter	36 in (914 mm)
Wheelbase	8 ft 6 in (2,591 mm)
Maximum speed	100 mph (161 km/h) (design); 80 mph (129 km/h) (service);
Weight	128,300 lb (58,200 kg) (A car); 125,300 lb (56,800 kg) (B car);
Traction system	Mitsubishi Electric IGBT–VVVF
Traction motors	8 × Mitsubishi 265 hp (198 kW) asynchronous 3-phase AC; M7: MB-5088-A; M7A: MB-5088-A2;
Power output	2,120 hp (1,580 kW) per unit
Acceleration	2 mph/s (3.2 km/(h⋅s))
Deceleration	3 mph/s (4.8 km/(h⋅s)) (service); 3.2 mph/s (5.1 km/(h⋅s)) (emergency);
Electric system(s)	Third rail, 750 V DC
Current collector(s)	Contact shoe
UIC classification	Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′
AAR wheel arrangement	B-B+B-B
Braking system(s)	Regenerative / Pneumatic
Safety system(s)	ATC and Pulse code cab signaling
Coupling system	Budd Pin and Cup coupler
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

Last updated October 25, 2024

The M7 is an electric multiple unit railroad car built by Bombardier for use on the MTA's Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Metro-North Railroad. With delivery beginning in 2002, the M7 replaced the M1 railcars on both railroads as well as the ACMUs on Metro-North. The cars built for Metro-North were designated as the M7As, and contain minor differences from the M7s found on the LIRR. A total of 1,172 M7 cars were built for the two railroads.^[7]

Description

Cars are arranged as married pairs, where each car contains a complete set of controls for an engineer, conductor, or brakeman. However, the 'B' Cars (denoted by odd-numbered car designations) contain a handicapped accessible restroom, which is larger than the restroom provided on the M1 and M3 railcars and designed to accommodate a wheelchair, as well as an attendant and/or service animal (such as a guide dog, hearing dog or service dog) accompanying the passenger. The enlarged bathroom reduces the number of seats in the car.^[7]

The M7 was built as two separate but similar models due to the different electrical and signaling systems on the LIRR and Metro-North. These two models, the M7 and M7A, share most of their attributes, but have a few notable differences. Most prominently, the styling of the end of the car is different; on the M7, it is mostly black with a single horizontal yellow stripe, while on the M7A it is mostly blue with several white stripes. This is the primary cosmetic difference, and the cars otherwise look nearly identical. Other, more minor, aesthetic differences include illuminated number boards, present on the M7 but absent on the M7A.^{[ citation needed ]} Aside from differences in appearance, the cars are built for the different types of third rail used by the two railroads: the M7 is equipped for the LIRR's over-running third rail, while the M7A is equipped for Metro-North's under-running third rail.^[7] For this reason, the two cars are not interchangeable between the two railroads.

History

Procurement

In late 1999, a contract was awarded to Bombardier for 836 LIRR M7s. Delivery began in early 2002, and test trains for the LIRR M7 began on the Ronkonkoma Branch. After several successful tests, LIRR M7 revenue service began on the Long Beach Branch on October 30, 2002, and Metro-North's first M7A started scheduled service in April 2004. All M7s were delivered by early 2007.^{[ citation needed ]}

Early troubleshooting

The M7 cars swayed from side to side more than intended when introduced to service, and required modifications to reduce the sway. In late 2006 the MTA began a replacement of all M7 armrests after paying out over $100,000 to customers who filed complaints. The factory-installed armrests were notorious for slipping into trouser pockets and then tearing them when sitting. The new design is of a different profile and is coated in a more fabric-friendly rubber. Some passengers complained about having fewer seats per B car, a consequence of the larger ADA-compliant restrooms, and about the width of the seats. Metro-North's management received feedback about the M7, which influenced the development of the M8 railcars for the New Haven Line.

In the fall of 2006, the M7As started to experience serious braking problems due to foliage on the right-of-way, a condition known as "Slip-Slide." This caused nearly 2/3 of the Metro-North fleet to be taken out of service, due to flat spots on wheels. While the LIRR fleet performed significantly better, stripped M1s from both railroads were reactivated, and diminished schedules were instituted until the M7 fleet was able to resume full operation.

As of 2007^[update], the fleet has the highest mean distance between failures out of the entire LIRR fleet. This partly had to do with the fleet's newness, and so the fleet often needed to be tested for reliability.^[8]

Later history

The Metro-North M7As were used in the 2016 film The Girl on the Train .^[9]

On April 19, 2021, the LIRR proposed equipping two pairs of M7 railcars with batteries for travel in diesel territory, pending feasibility studies.^[10]

Accidents and incidents

On February 3, 2015, an M7A train on Metro-North's Harlem Line was involved in a grade crossing collision with a car stopped on the tracks in Valhalla, New York. The driver of the car and six passengers were killed and at least fifteen were injured. Car 4333 was destroyed in the subsequent fire.^[11]
On October 8, 2016, an M7 train on the Long Island Rail Road's Port Jefferson Branch sideswiped a work train near the New Hyde Park station. Multiple cars – 7033, 7034, and 7044 – were seriously damaged and eventually scrapped. Car 7043, which was 7044's mate, was initially stored but was later remated with car 7554 after that car lost its mate.

On January 4, 2017, an M7 train on the Long Island Rail Road's Atlantic Branch overshot a bumper at Atlantic Terminal's track 6. More than 100 people were injured. Car 7553 was seriously damaged in the collision – a broken rail pierced the underbody, creating a large hole – and was eventually scrapped. Its mate 7554 was mated with car 7043, which also lost its mate.

On July 21, 2018, an M7 train stored in the Long Island Rail Road's West Side Yard derailed. Two cars, 7019 and 7364, were damaged and were eventually scrapped.^[12]
On February 26, 2019, an M7 train on the Long Island Rail Road's Ronkonkoma Branch struck a truck, causing the lead car to derail and strike the Westbury station platform. Car 7425 was seriously damaged as a result and was eventually scrapped. Three people in the truck were killed, while there were no fatalities on the train. The individuals were fleeing the scene of a motor vehicle accident and went around lowered railroad crossing gates. Car 7426 was mated with car 7279 after the crash.^[13]
Car 7054 had its front burned in a fire and was scrapped in 2023.^{[ citation needed ]}

Gallery

A Metro-North M7A entering Bronxville station
An LIRR M7 arriving at Flushing–Main Street
An 8 car M7A prepares for departure at Ardsley-on-Hudson station, heading towards Croton–Harmon station just 6 stations away. Car 4146 is seen trailing, with 4309 and 4308 leading the train
Interior of an M7A car
Seats in LIRR M7 cars

Related Research Articles

The Long Island Rail Road, or LIRR, is a railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County on Long Island. The railroad currently operates a public commuter rail service, with its freight operations contracted to the New York and Atlantic Railway. With an average weekday ridership of 354,800 passengers in 2016, it is the busiest commuter railroad in North America. It is also one of the world's few commuter systems that runs 24/7 year-round. It is publicly owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which refers to it as MTA Long Island Rail Road. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 75,186,900, or about 276,800 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.

Metro-North Railroad, trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, is a suburban commuter rail service operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a public authority of the U.S. state of New York. Metro-North serves the New York Metropolitan Area, running service between New York City and its northern suburbs in New York and Connecticut, including Port Jervis, Spring Valley, Poughkeepsie, Yonkers, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, White Plains, Southeast and Wassaic in New York and Stamford, New Canaan, Danbury, Bridgeport, Waterbury, and New Haven in Connecticut. Service in Connecticut is operated under contract with the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Metro-North also provides local rail service within the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx.

The Far Rockaway Branch is an electrified rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch begins at Valley Interlocking, just east of Valley Stream station. From Valley Stream, the line heads south and southwest through southwestern Nassau County, ending at Far Rockaway in Queens, thus reentering New York City. LIRR maps and schedules indicate that the Far Rockaway Branch service continues west along the Atlantic Branch to Jamaica. This two-track branch provides all day service in both directions to Grand Central Madison and Penn Station, both in Midtown Manhattan.

The Comet railcar is a class of locomotive-hauled railcars that was first designed in the late 1960s by Pullman-Standard as a modern commuter car for North American rail lines. Later, the Comet moniker was adopted by NJ Transit for all of its non-powered single level commuter coaches. Additional series of cars bearing the Comet name, based on the original design, have since been built by Bombardier Transportation and Alstom. The successful design was adopted by numerous commuter agencies.

The M1 and M3 are two similar series of electric multiple unit rail cars built by the Budd Company for the Long Island Rail Road, the Metro-North Railroad, and Metro-North's predecessors, Penn Central and Conrail. Originally branded by Budd as Metropolitans, the cars are more popularly known under their model names, M1 and M3. The Metro-North cars were branded under the M1A and M3A series.

The M2, M4 and M6 were three similar series of electric multiple unit rail cars produced by the Budd Company (M2), Tokyu Car Corporation (M4), and Morrison-Knudsen (M6) for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT). Initially branded as the Cosmopolitans, the cars were later more popularly known under their model names. They ran on the New Haven Line for most of their service life.

Westbury is a station on the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line. All trains for the Port Jefferson Branch and Ronkonkoma Branch run through it, though only some trains on the Port Jefferson branch stop. It is located at Union and Post Avenues in Westbury, New York. It is 23.4 miles (37.7 km) from Penn Station. The station is fully wheelchair accessible. It has two side platforms and three tracks.

The Central Branch is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in the U.S. state of New York, extending from 40.734°N 73.470°W just east of Bethpage station to 40.696°N 73.341°W just west of Babylon station. It was built in 1873 as part of the Babylon Extension of the Central Railroad of Long Island (CRRLI), which was owned by Alexander Turney Stewart. The branch was mostly unused following the 1876 merger of the CRRLI and the LIRR, but in 1925 it was rebuilt and reconfigured to connect Bethpage and Babylon stations.

The Main Line is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It begins as a two-track line at Long Island City station in Long Island City, Queens, and runs along the middle of Long Island about 95 miles (153 km) to Greenport station in Greenport, Suffolk County. At Harold Interlocking approximately one mile east of Long Island City, the tracks from the East River Tunnels and 63rd Street Tunnel into Manhattan intersect with the Main Line, which most trains use rather than using the Long Island City station.

Ronkonkoma is a major railroad station and transportation hub along the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road in Ronkonkoma, New York. The station is the eastern terminus of the Ronkonkoma Branch and the western terminus of the Greenport Branch, and it also serves the adjacent Long Island MacArthur Airport.

The Long Island Rail Road is a railroad owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in the U.S. state of New York. It is the oldest United States railroad still operating under its original name and charter. It consolidated several other companies in the late 19th century. The Pennsylvania Railroad owned the Long Island Rail Road for the majority of the 20th century and sold it to the State in 1966.

The Long Island Rail Road owns an electric fleet of 202 M9, 836 M7, and 170 M3 electric multiple unit cars, and a diesel and diesel-electric fleet consisting of 134 C3 bilevel rail cars powered by 24 DE30AC diesel-electric locomotives and 20 DM30AC dual-mode locomotives.

The M8 is an electric multiple unit railroad car built by Kawasaki for use on the Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line and the CT Rail Shore Line East. The fleet of 471 cars first entered service in 2011, replacing the M2, M4 and M6 cars, which entered service in 1973, 1987 and 1994, respectively. An additional 60-car order is currently finishing delivery in response to increased ridership and usage on Shore Line East.

The M9 is a class of electric multiple unit railroad cars being built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries for use on the MTA's Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Metro-North Railroad. They entered service September 11, 2019. These cars will replace the M3/M3A railcars built during the early 1980s, as well as expand the LIRR fleet to provide additional service after the completion of the LIRR's East Side Access project. A separate order of cars purchased for the LIRR and Metro-North using federal funding for the East Side Access project will also be designated M9A.

The EMD DE30AC and DM30AC are a class of 46 locomotives built between 1997–1999 by Electro-Motive Division in the Super Steel Plant in Schenectady, New York, for the Long Island Rail Road of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York. Originally divided equally between the two types, the fleet currently consists of 24 DE30AC locomotives and 20 DM30AC locomotives.

The C3 is a bi-level coach railroad car built by Kawasaki. Ordered by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for use on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), the cars began to enter revenue service in 1997. The rail cars are pulled and pushed by EMD DE30AC and DM30AC dual-mode locomotives. The C3 cars are powered by 480 V AC head-end power supplied from the locomotive.

The ACMUs were a series of electric multiple unit railcars built for the New York Central Railroad in three orders between 1950 and 1965. The ACMUs were intended to replace/supplement the original fleet of heavyweight MU cars, some of which dated to the start of electric operations on the New York Central. These were the first New York Central units to offer air conditioning, with sealed windows replacing the drop sash and clerestory types found on earlier cars. The initial set of 100 cars was retired in 1970, upon completion of the M1 railcar delivery, while the second and third orders, totaling 87 cars, remained in service until 2004, when they were replaced by the new M7 fleet.

The Metro-North Railroad is a commuter railroad serving northern suburbs of New York City. It principally uses a fleet of electric railcars for its services; diesel locomotives and push-pull coaches are in use as well for non-electrified portions of the system.

The PRR MP70, also known informally as the "double-deckers", was a class of electric multiple units manufactured by the Pennsylvania Railroad for use on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). The Pennsylvania Railroad manufactured three prototypes in the 1930s and a full fleet of sixty cars in 1947–1949. They were among the first examples of bilevel rail cars in the United States. The design was unpopular with both LIRR employees and commuters; the last cars were retired in 1972. A single example, the prototype, is preserved at the Railroad Museum of Long Island.

References

↑ "M-7 Electric Multiple Unit - New York, USA". Bombardier. Archived from the original on 2018-01-21. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
↑ Mitsubishi Electric 'Connect' Newsletter, Summer 2006
↑ 25 kV AC ELECTRIFICATION PROJECT ASSESSMENT OF ELECTRIC MULTIPLE UNITS PASSENGER RAIL CARS Page 21-25
↑ APPENDIX 6: Design Data for Electric Multiple Units (EMU) Page 3
1 2 "Overhaul of M7 and M8 Railcar Traction Motors". New York Bids. MTA - Metro-North Railroad. 12 August 2020.
↑ "Bombardier Transportation Seminar" (PDF). October 11, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
1 2 3 Solomon, B. (2016). Field Guide to Trains: Locomotives and Rolling Stock. Voyageur Press. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-7603-5126-0 . Retrieved December 16, 2018.
↑ Outside Contractor's report Archived 2009-03-05 at the Wayback Machine , October 2007.
↑ 'The Girl On The Train'
↑ Castillo, Alfonso A. (April 19, 2021). "LIRR paying $860G for feasibility study on battery-operated commuter trains". Newsday. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
↑ "Six killed as New York train hits vehicle". BBC News Online. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
↑ Marko, Tyler (23 July 2018). "Evening Long Island Rail Road trains canceled due to derailment". liherald.com.
↑ "Witness: Car in train collision was involved in previous crash". News 12 Long Island. February 26, 2019. Archived from the original on February 27, 2019.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "M-7 Electric Multiple Unit - New York, USA". Bombardier. Archived from the original on 2018-01-21. Retrieved 2023-02-04.

[2] Mitsubishi Electric 'Connect' Newsletter, Summer 2006

[3] 25 kV AC ELECTRIFICATION PROJECT ASSESSMENT OF ELECTRIC MULTIPLE UNITS PASSENGER RAIL CARS Page 21-25

[4] APPENDIX 6: Design Data for Electric Multiple Units (EMU) Page 3

[5088A-5] 1 2 "Overhaul of M7 and M8 Railcar Traction Motors". New York Bids. MTA - Metro-North Railroad. 12 August 2020.

[BT-seminar-6] "Bombardier Transportation Seminar" (PDF). October 11, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2021.

[Solomon_2016_p._75-7] 1 2 3 Solomon, B. (2016). Field Guide to Trains: Locomotives and Rolling Stock. Voyageur Press. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-7603-5126-0 . Retrieved December 16, 2018.

[Report-8] Outside Contractor's report Archived 2009-03-05 at the Wayback Machine , October 2007.

[9] 'The Girl On The Train'

[10] Castillo, Alfonso A. (April 19, 2021). "LIRR paying $860G for feasibility study on battery-operated commuter trains". Newsday. Retrieved 2021-04-19.

[11] "Six killed as New York train hits vehicle". BBC News Online. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.

[12] Marko, Tyler (23 July 2018). "Evening Long Island Rail Road trains canceled due to derailment". liherald.com.

[13] "Witness: Car in train collision was involved in previous crash". News 12 Long Island. February 26, 2019. Archived from the original on February 27, 2019.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]