MENU
SEARCHThe firm will provide quality assurance, engineering, and administrative services for Metra’s $154 million base order for eight battery-powered trainsets.
Metra's two-car trainsets are part of a larger push in the transportation industry to provide more economical and environmentally-friendly options for commuters.
Photo: Metra
Chicago’s Metra Metropolitan Rail (Metra) selected STV to provide procurement support for one of the nation’s first all-electric, battery-powered trainsets.
The firm will provide quality assurance, engineering, and administrative services for Metra’s $154 million base order for eight battery-powered trainsets.
The two-car trainsets are part of a larger push in the transportation industry to provide more economical and environmentally-friendly options for commuters.
The trainsets will feature low-level boarding and be equipped with lifts to make them ADA-compliant. Each two-car set will also seat 112 people with trailer cars that can provide seating for 46 people. Additionally, amenities such as information signs, bike racks, luggage racks, and USB outlets will be included.
“STV has a long-standing relationship providing various engineering and advisory services to Metra and is quickly becoming a leading provider of zero-emission engineering support for bus, and now rail transit, making us uniquely qualified to assist Metra with this initiative,” said Austin Longshore, sr. engineer and project manager at STV. “We’re excited to partner with Metra on this innovative procurement that will be among the very first in the United States to leverage all-battery electric technology for passenger rail.”
A fully charged trainset is expected to have a range of 45 to 50 miles. Charging time will vary, but going from 20% to 80%, with a “fast” charge — enough for the trainset to operate — expected to take about 20 to 30 minutes.
Amtrak will open grant applications March 23 for community projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore as part of a $50 million investment tied to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program.
Read More →
The Denmark Station $2.3 million construction investment project includes a new 280-foot concrete boarding platform, built eight inches above the top of rail, for improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities and families with small children and much more.
Read More →
The new bridge will begin carrying passenger trains on March 16, replacing a 116-year-old swing bridge that has long caused delays.
Read More →
Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.
Read More →
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
Read More →
Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.
Read More →
The strategy outlines near- and long-term upgrades to ease congestion, support housing growth, and advance statewide climate goals.
Read More →
The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.
Read More →
The procurement advances the agency's broader efforts to modernize its rail fleet and position Regional Rail for long-term improvement.
Read More →
Under the plan, all long-distance routes will transition to a universal single-level fleet, replacing today’s mix of bi-level and single-level equipment.
Read More →
