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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.
When the Metropolitan Transportation Authority began to subsidize commuter rail systems of Penn Central Railroad and Erie Lackawanna Railway in the early-1970s, they inherited equipment of the former New York Central Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad, New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad and Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, some of which dated back to the early 20th Century. However, they also began to operate variations of the new M1 railcar which was designated as the "M1A." The next new fleet of EMUs came with the M2s, which replaced Pullman 4400-series cars dating back to the early 1920s to 1954 from 1973 to 1977. With the expansion of electrified territory, 142 M3As were ordered, arriving between 1984 and 1986. Two additional small orders would supplement the existing fleet; 54 M4s arrived in late 1987, and in 1994 48 M6s arrived. Many diesel locomotives inherited from those railroads, however, were used as recently as the early 21st Century. The M1As were replaced between 2004 and 2007 with the arrival of the 336 M7As. [1] In order to replace the M2, M4, and M6s on the New Haven Line and to respond to increasing ridership on that line 405 M8s were ordered. In 2016, in response to ridership higher than initially expected on the New Haven Line, up to 94 additional M8s will be built to meet that line's needs. [2]
| Builder and model | Photo | Build year | Year rebuilt | Fleet numbers | Power | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMD GP35R |  | 1964–1965 | 1991–1992; 2013–2017, 2019 | 101–108 (8 units) | 2,500 horsepower (1,900 kW) |
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| EMD GP40FH-2M |  | 1966–1970 | 1992–1993; 2007 | 4900–4905 (6 units) | 3,000 horsepower (2,200 kW) |
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| EMD GP40PH-2M |  | 1968 | 1992; 2007 | 4906 (1 unit) | ||
| EMD F40PH-3C |  | 1976–1981 | 2009–2010 | 4907–4914 (8 units) | ||
| GE P32AC-DM |  | 1995–2001 | 2012–2015 | 201–231 (31 units) | 3,200 horsepower (2,400 kW) |
|
| Brookville BL20GH |  | 2008 | 2017– | 110–115, 125–130 (12 units) | 2,250 horsepower (1,680 kW) |
|
| Brookville BL14CG |  | 2009 | – | 401–402 (2 units) | 2,000 horsepower (1,500 kW) |
|
| EMD GP40-3H |  | 1971 | 2016-2018 | 6698-6699 (2 units) | 3,000 horsepower (2,200 kW) |
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| Builder and model | Image | Build year | Fleet numbers | Power | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siemens SC-42DM Charger |  | 2023–2027 | (33 units) | 4,400 horsepower (3,300 kW) |
|
In December 2020, the Metro-North board approved a Federal Transit Administration funded $334.9 million contract for Siemens to manufacture and test 19 dual-mode locomotives with an option for an additional eight more. 19 of the 27 dual-mode Locomotives ordered have already been fully approved for $231.6 million with the other eight at a cost of $82.1 million. In addition, the contract also included capital spare parts for $12.9 million, a training simulator for $1.5 million, test equipment for $3 million, and extended warranty for $3.6 million. The contract included 144 in total option locomotives with 66 additional locomotives for Long Island Rail Road in an alternate configuration, 32 additional locomotives for Metro-North, 20 for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, and 26 locomotives in an alternate configuration for Amtrak/NYSDOT. These dual modes would be able to work on both Amtrak and Metro-North signal systems and will be able to sustain 110 miles per hour (180 km/h) in service. [4] [5] The first pair of locomotives were delivered in October 2024 and were expected to enter service in early 2025, with deliveries to continue through 2027. [6]
These cars are non-powered.
| Builder and model | Photo | Build year | Year Rebuilt | Fleet Numbers | Number Active | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombardier Comet II |  | 1983, 1987 | 2009 | 6125, 6127, 6129, 6131, 6134, 6136, 6138, 6140, 6142–6149, 6176, 6178, 6180 | 19 | Formerly used for West of Hudson service, transferred in 2009. Not rebuilt until transferred to East of Hudson. |
| Bombardier Shoreliner I |  | 1983 | 1995–1996; 2008–2009 | 6101, 6103, 6105, 6107, 6109, 6150–6160, 6162, 6164, 6166, 6201, 6203, 6205, 6207, 6209, 6250–6260, 6262, 6264, 6266, 6268 | 39 | |
| Bombardier Shoreliner II |  | 1987–1988 | 2008–2009 | 6111, 6113, 6115, 6117, 6119, 6121, 6123, 6161, 6163, 6165, 6167–6175, 6177, 6179, 6182, 6184, 6186, 6190, 6211, 6213, 6215, 6217, 6219, 6223, 6225, 6227, 6229, 6230, 6232, 6234, 6236, 6238, 6240, 6270, 6272, 6274, 6276, 6278 | 45 | 6188 wrecked and retired after 2013 accident at Spuyten Duyvil |
| Bombardier Shoreliner III |  | 1991–2002 | NA | 6301-6310 6330-6344, 6346-6362 6364, 6366, 6368, 6370, 6372, 6374 | 48 | 6345 wrecked and retired after 2013 accident at Spuyten Duyvil. |
| Bombardier Shoreliner IV |  | 1996–2002 | 6221, 6222, 6311–6320 | 57 | 6222, 6288, and 6440 wrecked and retired after 2013 accident at Spuyten Duyvil. | |
| Alstom Comet V |  | 2004 | 6700–6714, 6750–6799 | 65 | Operated by NJ Transit for West of Hudson service. | |
| Budd club/lounge | 1949 | 1-3 | 3 | Only used on special trains, ex-Lackawanna and New York Central. [7] |
In August 2023, CTDOT approved a contract with Alstom for 60 single-level passenger cars. The cars will replace the existing Shoreliner coach fleet on the Waterbury Branch and the Danbury Branch, as well as Mafersa coaches and leased MBTA MBB coaches on the Hartford Line. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2026. [8] [9] Metro-North intends to begin replacing the Shoreliners used on other east-of-Hudson services by 2029. [10]
M3A and M7A cars draw power from 650 V DC third rail with under-running contact shoes. M8 draw power from third rail, both over- and under-running, or 12.5 kV 60 Hz and 25 kV 60 Hz AC catenary.
| Builder and model | Photo | Build year | Year rebuilt | Fleet numbers | Number Active | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budd M3A |  | 1983–1985 | 2008–2015 | 8000–8141 | 140 | |
| Bombardier M7A |  | 2004–2006 | N/A | 4000–4335 | 334 | 4333 burned and destroyed in 2015 accident in Valhalla. |
| Kawasaki M8 |  | 2009–2022 | 9100–9421, 9460, 9462, 9464, 9466, 9468, 9470, 9472, 9474, 9476 (unpowered single cars) 9500–9519 9560, 9562, 9564, 9566, 9568, 9570, 9572, 9574, 9576, 9578, 9580, 9582, 9584, 9586, 9588, 9590 (unpowered single cars) 9600–9623 9700-9738 | 471 |
|
| Builder and model | Photo | Build year | Year rebuilt | Fleet numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kawasaki M9A |  | TBD | N/A | TBD Up to 300 cars | To replace M3As |
MTA originally planned to order 188 M9A cars for Metro-North as part of the 2015-2019 Capital Program. [11] In June 2018, Metro-North announced that they would elect to not exercise their options for the M9 order, instead overhauling their M3A units to extend their lifespan. [12] However, that November, Metro-North stated that they "are working with LIRR to procure 170 new M9A cars in the next Capital Program to provide additional capacity and replace M3As." [13] As of 2024 [update] , Metro-North intends to replace all M3A cars by 2029. [10]
Roster rolling stock manufactured from 1946 to the present.
| Builder and model | Photo | Built | Retired | Heritage | Successor | Power | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locomotives | |||||||
| Brookville BL06 | 2000 | 2012 | Metro-North | BL20GH | 600 HP | Used as a yard switcher | |
| EMD FP10 |  | 1946–1949 (rebuilt in late 1970s) | 2008 | GM&O; MBTA | P32AC-DM, BL20GH | 1750 hp | Original Gulf Mobile & Ohio F3s, later MBTA; rebuilt F3s. 412 in service at Adirondack Scenic Railroad as 1502; 413 preserved at Danbury Railway Museum. |
| EMD GP9 | 1956 | 2009 | New York Central | Brookville BL14CG | 1400 hp | Work Locomotive; 750 is stored at Croton-Harmon | |
| EMD GP8 | 1957 | 2010 | 1750 hp | Work Locomotive only. 543 is used during the winter to melt ice off the third rail. Reactivated for switcher service in 2012 after retirement 2010. At Croton-Harmon retired; in long term storage | |||
| ALCO RS-3m |  | 1956 | 1990s | New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad | 1200 hp | Preserved at Danbury Railway Museum | |
| EMD FL9 |  | 1956–1959 | 1998–2002, 2009 | New York, New Haven and Hartford; Penn Central; Conrail | P32AC-DM, BL20GH, Amtrak P40DC | 1800 hp | Dual-mode locomotive with third rail shoe for running in Park Ave Tunnel - in later years was relegated to 100% diesel work on branch lines. Several have been donated to railroad museums. |
| GE B23-7 | 1976 | 1993 | Conrail | GP35R | 2250 hp | Work Locomotive; ex-Conrail. Traded Back to GE on expiration of lease for the GP35Rs. | |
| GE U34CH | 1978 | 1994 | Erie Lackawanna | GP40PH-2 | 3600 hp | Used for the Port Jervis Line. Rebuilt Chicago and North Western U30C; Scrapped | |
| Republic Locomotive FL9AC | 1992 | 2005 | New York New Haven and Hartford; LIRR | P32AC-DM | 3000 hp | Ex. LIRR; rebuilt EMD FL9s. All scrapped. | |
| GE P40DC |  | 1993 | 2009 | Amtrak | BL20GH | 4000 hp | Amtrak-leased units to replace FL9s. Retained Amtrak paint and logo. Were used on Danbury, Waterbury and Wassaic branch lines. Amtrak 833, 834, 836, 838, 840, 841, 842, and 843. When Metro-North returned these units, they were sold to CTDOT for Shore Line East. All rebuilt and now used on Hartford Line. |
| Self-Propelled Cars | |||||||
| Budd RDC |  | 1950–1956 | 1991 | New York Central; New York New Haven and Hartford | P32AC-DM; Shoreliner coaches | 550 hp | Used on Port Jervis Line and Waterbury Branch. New Haven 32 and 47 are at Danbury Railway Museum; 47 was stripped for parts for 32. 32 is operational. Metro-North demotored certain units for push pull coaches |
| Pullman 4400 |  | 1954 | 1983 | New York, New Haven and Hartford | Budd M2s | 650 V DC Third Rail under running 11 kV 25 Hz AC catenary | Ex-New Haven Railroad; ran on New Haven Line; 3 units are at Danbury Railway Museum (One owned by private individual); Replaced by M2s |
| Pullman ACMU |  | 1962–1965 | 2004 | New York Central | Bombardier M7As | 650 V DC third rail under-running | Ex-New York Central; electrical multiple units; replaced by M7As. 1128 and 1171 are at Danbury Railway Museum. |
| Budd SPV-2000 |  | 1978–1981 | 1996 | Amtrak/ConnDOT, MTA | P32AC-DM; Shoreliner coaches | 550 hp | Owned by MTA and ConnDOT (CTDOT units had Amtrak logos in addition to State of CT seal.) Used on branch lines of Metro-North and Amtrak's Springfield line. CTDOT de-powered their units for Shore Line East. Those have since been retired in favor of Ex-VRE Mafersa push-pull coaches. MNCR 293 is preserved at Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum in Willimantic, CT. Several ConnDOT-owned de-powered units were sent to New Orleans for hurricane-standby duty. |
| Budd M1A |  | 1971–1973 | 2009 | Penn Central | Bombardier M7As | 650 V DC third rail under-running | Replaced by M7As |
| Budd M2 |  | 1972–1977, rebuilt 1992–1994, 2006 | 2018 | Kawasaki M8s | 650 V DC third rail under-running & 12.5 kV 60 Hz AC catenary | Largely replaced by M8s in 2015, all replaced in 2018. Pair 8706-8707 has been preserved by the Danbury Railway Museum. | |
| Tokyu Car M4 |  | 1987–1988 | 2015 | Metro-North/ ConnDOT | Replaced by M8s, last run of M4/M6 equipment June 26, 2015. | ||
| Morrison-Knudsen M6 |  | 1994 | 2015 | Replaced by M8s, last run of M4/M6 equipment June 26, 2015, last new build DC traction railcars in North America | |||
| Coaches | |||||||
| Various stainless-steel coaches and club cars | Various years | 1985 | New York New Haven and Hartford, New York Central | Shoreliner I and II Cars | Non-Powered | Disposed of or sold through the 1980s as new equipment came on line. | |
| Pullman Standard 4800 series coaches | 1950s | SEMTA | Detroit's commuter carrier. | ||||
| Morrison-Knudsen Boise Budds | 1982 | 1998 | Shoreliner III cars | Rebuilt Budd RDCs that had their Engines Removed and used as Push-Pull cars; Original MBTA then sold to VRE in 1986 then VRE sold them to Metro-North. 2 units sit on a deadline in Croton-Harmon; Rest sold to Caltrain in 2000, and are now used by the Grand Canyon Railway since 2005. | |||
| GE/Avco/Vickers Comet IA |  | 1978 | 2005 | Metro North | Alstom Comet V | Two cabs and eight trailers were built from surplus shells from the Arrow III EMU for NJDOT. They saw use primarily on the Port Jervis Line. Replaced by Comet V cars. | |
| Bombardier Comet III | 1991 | 1998/2008 | New Jersey Transit | Sold to NJT in 1998, sold back to Metro-North in 2008. Now converted for use on LaserTrain. | |||
Metro-North Railroad was the last commuter railroad in the United States to operate bar cars-- electric MUs equipped with bars that served alcohol. The M2 bar cars were delivered in 1974, and Metro-North has not ordered new ones. The last train which included a bar car left Grand Central for New Haven at 7:34 PM on Friday, May 9, 2014. While there is talk of retrofitting M8 cars with bars, no decision has been reached and no money allocated. However, on September 13, 2016, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy announced that the state would be buying another 60 M8 cars, 10 being "bar cars". [14] However, the idea was abandoned due to cost and train capacity concerns, as well as Metro-North not being willing to handle the bar themselves, wishing for an outside company to run the operation itself. [15] [16] [17]
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company, also branded as MTA Metro-North Railroad and commonly called simply Metro-North, 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 works under contract with New Jersey Transit for the west-of-hudson lines located in New Jersey and New York in Metro-North also provides local rail service within the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx.
The Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) is a commuter rail system in the Washington–Baltimore area. MARC is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) and operated under contract by Alstom and Amtrak on track owned by CSX Transportation (CSXT) and Amtrak. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 3,860,600, or about 13,900 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024, less than pre-COVID-19 pandemic weekday ridership of 40,000.
Shore Line East (SLE) is a commuter rail service which operates along the Northeast Corridor through southern Connecticut, United States. The rail service is a fully owned subsidiary of the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) and is operated under the CT Rail brand. SLE provides service seven days a week along the Northeast Corridor between New London and New Haven; limited through service west of New Haven to Bridgeport and Stamford operates during weekday rush hours. Cross-platform transfers to Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line trains are available at New Haven for service to southwestern Connecticut and New York City. Pre-COVID, around 2,200 riders used the service on weekdays.
The New Haven Line is a 72.7 mi (117.0 km) commuter rail line operated by the Metro-North Railroad in the U.S. states of New York and Connecticut. Running from New Haven, Connecticut, to New York City, the New Haven Line joins the Harlem Line in Mount Vernon, New York, and continues south to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. The New Haven Line carries 125,000 passengers every weekday and 39 million passengers a year. The busiest intermediate station is Stamford, with 8.4 million passengers, or 21% of the line's ridership.
The Danbury Branch is a diesel branch of the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line in the U.S. state of Connecticut, running from downtown Norwalk north to Danbury. It opened in 1852 as the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad. Until the early 1970s, passenger service continued north from Danbury to Canaan, Connecticut, and Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Metro-North took over operation of the line from Conrail in 1983, and the modern-day branch is mostly single-tracked.
The Waterbury Branch is a branch of the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line, running north from a junction in the Devon section of Milford to Waterbury, Connecticut. Originally built as the Naugatuck Railroad, it once continued north to Winsted. The part north of Waterbury is now leased from CTDOT by the Railroad Museum of New England, which operates excursion trains from Thomaston station through their operating subsidiary Naugatuck Railroad ; this name was chosen in homage of the original railroad. The trackage ends in Torrington, but Metro-North service on the branch ends at Waterbury. There are conceptual plans to extend service from its current terminus in Waterbury to Hartford via Bristol and New Britain. Currently, riders that want to continue to New Britain and Hartford have to transfer to an express bus operated by CTtransit at Waterbury. All trains on this branch operate as shuttles between Waterbury and Bridgeport.
The Budd SPV-2000 is a self-propelled diesel multiple unit railcar built by the Budd Company between 1978 and 1981 for use on North American commuter railroads. The design was a successor to Budd's popular Rail Diesel Car (RDC) but based on the body of the Amfleet passenger car. It did not prove a success: Budd built 31 cars and they proved mechanically unreliable.
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.
Derby–Shelton station is a commuter rail station on the Waterbury Branch of the Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line, serving the cities of Derby and Shelton, Connecticut. It is the southernmost stop on the Waterbury Branch before trains merge onto the Northeast Corridor.
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.
The Kawasaki Railcar Manufacturing Company is the Japanese rolling stock manufacturing subsidiary of Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Since beginning operations in 1906, the company has produced more than 90,000 railroad cars.
The Hartford Line is a commuter rail service between New Haven, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts, using the Amtrak-owned New Haven–Springfield Line. The project is a joint venture between the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts, with support from the federal government as well. CT Rail-branded trains provide service along the corridor, and riders can use Hartford Line tickets to travel on board most Amtrak trains along the corridor at the same prices. The service launched on June 16, 2018.
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.
Shoreliners are a class of locomotive-hauled rail car used by the Metro-North Railroad. They are similar to the Comet coaches used by New Jersey Transit. Ownership of the fleet is split between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the Connecticut Department of Transportation, as part of the latter's operating agreement with the MTA. MTA coaches have blue window bands, while CTDOT coaches have red ones. Many of the Shoreliner cars are named in honor of people and places significant to their service area, such as The Connecticut Yankee and Washington Irving.
Penn Station Access (PSA) is a public works project underway by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City. The goal of the project is to allow Metro-North Railroad commuter trains to access Penn Station on Manhattan's West Side, using existing trackage owned by Amtrak. Metro-North trains currently terminate exclusively at Grand Central in Midtown Manhattan.
The Siemens Charger is a family of diesel-electric/dual-mode passenger locomotives designed and manufactured by Siemens Mobility for the North American market.
CT Rail, stylized as CTrail, is the brand for commuter rail services overseen by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), in the U.S. state of Connecticut, with services on the Hartford Line extending into Massachusetts. CTDOT oversees two lines: Shore Line East, between New Haven and New London, Connecticut, and the Hartford Line, from New Haven, through Hartford, to Springfield, Massachusetts.
Media related to Rolling stock of the Metro-North Railroad at Wikimedia Commons
| East of Hudson |  | |
|---|---|---|
| West of Hudson (operated by NJ Transit) | ||
| Non-revenue and Predecessor lines | ||
| Other | ||