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The Long Island Rail Road’s decades-old M-3 railcars are finally headed for retirement — and some sleek, modern replacements are on the way.
The MTA announced it’s dropping a cool $2.3 billion on 316 new passenger railcars, part of a massive upgrade to the LIRR and Metro-North fleets. That includes 160 new M-9A cars just for the LIRR, which will replace the aging M-3s that have been rolling across Long Island since the Reagan years.
“These new trains are fast, comfortable, and long overdue,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a release. “New Yorkers deserve it.”
The new railcars will serve the LIRR’s electric lines — Ronkonkoma on the Main Line, Babylon on the Montauk Branch, and Huntington on the Port Jefferson Branch.
The rest of the new railcars — 150 of them — will go to Metro-North, replacing their own M-3 cars on the Hudson and Harlem lines.
So what’s the upgrade?
The new M-9As will be built in Hornell, New York, by Alstom Transportation, and they’ll feature larger windows, USB charging ports and better accessibility, including automatic doors on the bathrooms. (Yes, it’s about time.)
“LIRR ridership is exploding thanks to record on-time performance and expanded service with Grand Central Madison,” said LIRR President Rob Free. “These modern railcars are going to make that experience even better.”
The full contract covers everything from design and testing to delivery of the new fleet, which is part of the MTA’s $10.9 billion capital plan running through 2029.
In total, the plan calls for 2,000 new railcars.
“These cars are six times more reliable than the older ones,” said Metro-North President Justin Vonashek. “We’re excited to get them rolling.”
Alstom is set to deliver the first pilot cars in 2029, with the first LIRR passengers boarding the new trains in 2030.
The full fleet is expected to be delivered by 2032.
End of another era:
— MTA courtesy rendering
