The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced it is seeking proposals from railcar manufacturers to build 252 new single-level passenger coaches for the Metro-North Railroad. The competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) includes an option for the additional purchase of 377 cars, which would be reserved for any future expansions to the Metro-North service area.
The base order would replace coaches from the 1980s and 1990s that run on the Hudson and Harlem lines and represent 23% of Metro-North’s active passenger fleet. This is the Authority’s first new Metro-North rolling stock coach purchase in decades.
The new passenger coaches are being funded by the MTA’s 2025-29 Capital Plan, which received a historic $68 billion in funding from Governor Hochul and the State Legislature in the FY26 Enacted State Budget. This Capital Plan features a $12 billion investment in new rolling stock across the MTA system and includes $6 billion earmarked specifically for Metro-North to upgrade passenger cars and infrastructure.
This RFP is part of the MTA’s new Rolling Stock Program, which directs the MTA’s rolling stock strategy and ensures dedicated attention to the acquisition and lifetime costs for the MTA’s most strategic assets, including buses, subway cars, and commuter rail trains.
The contract gives manufacturers room to innovate within the parameters of accepted design practices while giving riders the best value for their tax dollars. There are three types of cabs in this order: cab cars with toilets, trailer cars with toilets and trailer cars without toilets. Each seat approximately 100 riders.
The RFP outlines technical specifications that are designed to enhance reliability, accessibility, service, security, performance and the overall customer experience. This includes two ADA designated wheelchair areas per train car, ADA-compliant toilet access, higher quality announcement systems featuring an audio inductive loop for hearing impaired, high-resolution digital information screens, passenger Wi-Fi, device charging outlets, bike and luggage racks as well as enhanced safety measures, including onboard security cameras. The new cars are also compatible with Metro-North locomotives and are designed to operate throughout the current and future Metro-North service territory.
The new coaches will also improve reliability with a higher mean distance between failure (MDBF) — a measure of how long a car can operate without issues, repairs or maintenance. Current cars have an average MDBF rate of 430,000 miles, compared to the new coaches, which will have an MDBF rate of 570,000 miles. This translates to a faster, smoother ride for more than 250,000 daily Metro-North customers.
Proposals will be accepted through October 2026. The contract will be awarded in early 2027, with new passenger cars anticipated to be put in service in 2029.
-via Press Release
