‘First in the country’: Metra to showcase game-changing battery-operated passenger train
A high-tech, battery-operated Metra train chugs off the drawing board into reality next week.
The trainset is on the way to Chicago and will be exhibited at the American Public Transportation Association conference, which starts Sunday at McCormick Place, the agency announced.
“We’ll be the first in the country to have battery-powered passenger vehicles,” Metra Executive Director Jim Derwinski said at a recent meeting.
The APTA event is open to the public, and the trainset will later be displayed at a Metra facility, most likely the LaSalle Street station, officials said. It is one of eight the agency has ordered.
“This vehicle will look like nothing that’s ever been operated in this region,” Derwinski noted.
“When you go in there, you’re going to say, ‘Wow,’” he predicted. “Then, you’re going to say, ‘Can I go for a ride?’”
But commuters will have to wait until the end of 2027 and into 2028 before the game-changing transport can accommodate passengers.
After its big reveal, the trainset will head to the Federal Railroad Administration’s Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colorado, for extensive testing.
The trainsets initially will be deployed on the Rock Island Line, where they’re expected to improve air quality as Metra retires older diesel locomotives.
In the future, “it’s certainly a possibility they could show up on other lines,” Metra spokesperson Michael Gillis said Monday.
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.
Unlike traditional models, the trainsets will consist of up to four railcars permanently or semi-permanently coupled together with a battery propulsion system in the center section. Operating controls are located at both ends so it can easily change directions.
The trainsets are expected to have a range between 45 and 65 miles. A two-car set accommodates 112 people while each additional car can seat about 46, Metra said.
The sets have the potential to accelerate and stop faster than typical Metra engines, and are emissions-free.
Metra purchased the technology from Salt Lake City-based Stadler U.S. under a $154 million contract for eight, two-car units. The contract includes a $181.4 million option for eight additional trainsets and up to 32 trailer cars that could be attached.
The agency received a $169 million federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant to offset the costs.
Battery-powered trainsets are currently in use elsewhere, including Germany, France and Australia, Derwinski noted. And New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has ordered battery-operated and electric locomotives for its Metro-North Railroad.
Meanwhile, some U.S. freight railroads, including BNSF and Union Pacific, have been trying out battery-powered locomotives.
The APTA conference runs from Sunday through Oct. 7. More details will be coming at metra.com.
“We’re very excited to see the process of this particular program and invite the public to come and see it,” Derwinski said.
mpyke@dailyherald.com