September 10, 2014

GOV. MALLOY: NEW M-8 RAIL CARS WILL IMPROVE SERVICE, SAFETY AND RELIABILITY ON THE NEW HAVEN LINE

Delivery Of 405 New Rail Cars Ordered To Be Complete By The End Of 2014

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced today that Connecticut is close to receiving all of the 405 Kawasaki M-8 rail cars that were ordered to replace the entire New Haven Line fleet which is well beyond its useful lifespan. In total, 380 M-8 cars have now been delivered to the New Haven rail yard. The rest are scheduled to arrive by the end of 2014, coinciding with the retirement of older rail cars - some of which have been in service for 40 years.

"The efficient movement of people and products is an essential ingredient to a healthy economic climate and, with about 94 percent of the M-8 cars we ordered in our possession, we are on our way to returning the New Haven Line to a 'best in class' railroad," said Governor Malloy. "With this investment in more modern, comfortable M-8 rail cars, we are making good on our promise to improve service on the busiest rail line in the country while ensuring riders have as safe and reliable a commute as possible."

Assembled in Nebraska by Kawasaki Rail Car Inc., the state-of-the-art M-8 rail cars are the most advanced rail cars currently in use in America. In the M-8, critical, solid-state, computer-controlled electrical components are protected within the car body rather than exposed under the car so that inclement weather will not interfere with their operation. Redundancies are built into the cars to ensure continued operation if a system malfunctions. For example, each car has two modular air conditioning units so that if one fails, the other will continue to cool the car until the broken one can be removed and replaced with a spare.

"The new M-8 cars have received overwhelmingly positive customer feedback," said Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) Commissioner James P. Redeker. "In addition to many modern amenities and environmentally friendly and energy saving features, these rail cars are engineered for greater reliability, especially in the winter months."

The new M-8s feature more open and brighter interior space, high-back seating for all seats and a distinctive vestibule area. There are four, 110-volt outlets for every row and an American with Disabilities Act- (ADA-) compliant lavatory as well as other passenger-oriented improvements such as arm and headrests and an automated announcement and signage system. In response to customer demand, bike racks are now being installed in the new rail cars.

The cars will run on the New Haven Line which is operated by Metro-North under contract to ConnDOT and is the busiest single commuter rail line in the United States, providing a record-breaking 39 million customer trips in 2013.

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For Immediate Release: September 10, 2014

Facebook: Office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy