The agency does anticipate, however, picking up a Virginia Railway Express option to purchase 21 railcars from Japanese rolling stock manufacturer Nippon Sharyo at an estimated cost of $2.5 million per car.
Chicago Metra announced that due to changes in the availability of capital to fund its $2.4 billion modernization plan and promising new alternatives, the agency is temporarily suspending its current search for a vendor to build 367 new railcars.
Metra has identified modernization of rolling stock as one of its highest capital priorities due to the age of its fleet and the fact that the condition of cars and locomotives is so essential to providing high-quality, reliable and comfortable service.
Metra anticipates being able to acquire some of the 367 new cars sooner than expected and at a substantial savings. Metra’s peer railroad Virginia Railway Express (VRE) has a remaining option to purchase 21 railcars from Japanese rolling stock manufacturer Nippon Sharyo at an estimated cost of $2.5 million per car. Because VRE uses the same type of railcars as Metra, the agency recently reached out to VRE about acquiring this option, since VRE may no longer need its full order.
The cost of the entire Metra purchase of 367 new railcars had been estimated at approximately $1.2 billion or $3.3 million per railcar. This is $800,000 more per car than the expected cost of each VRE car. If Metra is able to acquire the railcar option from VRE, it could result in savings of approximately $17 million, with delivery of the first set of new railcars in early 2018.
“The most important thing we can do right now is be flexible and creative in our efforts so that we can continue to achieve what we set out to do — invest in infrastructure and enhance service and reliability for the benefit of our customers,” said Metra Chairman Martin J. Oberman.
The projected availability of capital funding for the entire purchase has changed since Metra’s modernization plan was first proposed. The fact that the state of Illinois has put on hold more than $300 million in funding that had been previously budgeted in Metra’s capital program is likely to result in the need to spread out over a longer period of time the acquisition of the remaining 346 cars and the planned acquisition of new locomotives.
To overcome this problem and meet the need to update its fleet, Metra is aggressively investigating whether it can acquire and rehabilitate a number of later model cars from other commuter railroads that may no longer have a need for them. This approach may well result in lowering the need for as many new cars, while providing upgraded and completely renovated cars for Metra’s customers at a lower overall cost.
The ATP board’s approval of the KAP team enables ATP to begin pre-construction activities, including advancing design, initiating permitting, and preparing the site for future construction.
The railroad has issued a formal request for proposals to manufacturers for more than 800 new passenger railcars that will serve 14 long-distance routes nationwide.
The delivery marks the first car in a 374‑vehicle order and begins the arrival of a new generation of higher‑capacity, more reliable, and more comfortable trains for one of the country’s busiest commuter rail systems.
BART recorded 5,403,140 exits in March, making it the highest monthly ridership since the pandemic and surpassing the previous high set in October 2025 (5,346,890 exits).
The station was rebuilt as part of SEPTA’s Station Accessibility Program, making it fully ADA accessible with new elevators, ramps, and high-level platforms.
The announcement highlights the long-standing partnership between the Class I railroad and the commuter rail system, dating back to Metra's creation in 1983.
Crews completed a significant portion of the testing required before commissioning the new, digital signaling system, which will bring important upgrades that strengthen Red Line service reliability for riders and provide Red Line Operations the ability to route trains more quickly, turn trains around faster, and recover from unplanned disruptions more efficiently, said MBTA officials.
