Bombardier Transportation received an order for 100 MultiLevel commuter railcars from the New Jersey Transit Corp. (NJ Transit). The contract is valued at approximately $267 million and includes options for up to 79 additional vehicles.

The order represents Bombardier's second contract with NJ Transit for this type of vehicle. Under a 2003 contract, Bombardier provided 329 MultiLevel vehicles now in successful operation at NJ Transit.

The MultiLevel vehicles feature upper and lower seating levels as well as a spacious intermediate level at each end of the car and offer high levels of capacity, comfort and convenience. Each coach has 15 percent to 30 percent more seating capacity than a typical single-level car, yet is specially designed to meet the infrastructure constraints of certain rail networks, such as those posed by tunnels.

Comfort features include a two-by-two seating configuration that eliminates the middle seat found on many single-level vehicles, specially designed seats with improved lumbar support, and more leg room, knee room and seat width than found in conventional coaches. Large side doors located at the intermediate level provide accessibility from both high and low level platforms.

Over the years, Bombardier has provided hundreds of push-pull commuter coaches and MultiLevel vehicles to NJ Transit. Bombardier has supplied 29 electric locomotives of the type BOMBARDIER ALP-46 and is currently filling orders for 36 ALP-46A electric locomotives, an upgraded version of the original product, as well as 26 ALP-45DP dual-powered locomotives.

In addition, Bombardier was a member of the consortium that designed and built NJ Transit's turnkey RiverLINE light rail system between Camden and Trenton, New Jersey and now operates and maintains the system under a contract with NJ Transit.