Metra estimates the trains will be ready for passenger use around the start of 2028.
The United State’s first battery-powered train is coming to Chicago next week, where Metra will display the vehicle at the American Public Transportation Association, and then at a Metra facility. Metra has ordered eight of the high-tech vehicles, which will be ready for passenger use around the beginning of 2028.
Each battery-powered trainset consists of four railcars coupled together, with a battery propulsion system in the center system and operating controls at both ends, Marni Pyke writes for the Chicago Tribune.
The Chicago Tribune reports:
Planners said the sets could be “a more economical and environmentally friendly way to provide the same level of service or better, particularly during off-peak times,” and help Metra achieve its vision of a more frequent, all-day system.
Read the full story: ‘First in the country’: Metra to showcase game-changing battery-operated passenger train
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