Alstom has been awarded a contract to supply Chicago with modern rail carriages featuring enhanced connectivity and enhanced maintenance and diagnostic systems, allowing Chicago’s rail network Metra greater visibility on fleet operational performance and increased fleet availability.

In January, the Metra Board of Directors awarded Alstom a vehicle procurement contract for up to 500 rail cars. Now Metra has awarded Alstom with an order for the first 200 rail cars, worth approximately €650 million.

Metra is the commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and surrounding suburbs, with over 11 routes totalling nearly 500 route miles and approximately 1,200 miles of track and over 240 stations throughout the greater Chicagoland area. 

The multilevel cars incorporate new design features to improve passenger experience, including: a streamlined interior equipped with USB plugs and a layout to improve passenger flow and traveller comfort; seating and spacing to allow for additional ridership and physical distancing; touchless doors; improved bogie design for improved ride quality; and multiple wide doors on each side of the cars to reduce passenger boarding times and improve access to passenger areas.

Fleet reliability will be enhanced through enhanced maintenance and diagnostic system capabilities that will allow Metra to have greater visibility on fleet operational performance and increase fleet availability. The eco-designed cars will be energy efficient, with improvements and developments such as full LED lighting and climate control regulation based on passenger load. The new rail cars will also be 90% recyclable.

The new cars will also meet all Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and accessibility requirements, including the addition of wheelchair lifts on each side of the vehicles. 

“Alstom is pleased to have been selected by Metra to provide the latest in multilevel car design,” said Jérôme Wallut, President, Alstom Americas. “Alstom continues to invest and support investment in U.S. railroad infrastructure, and these new cars will allow Metra to extract maximum value from their fleet investments by increasing fleet reliability, enhancing overall passenger experience and ensuring maximum accessibility for all passengers.”