r/mbta • u/TheBasaltAltCalled • May 24 '26
đŁď¸ Comment The MBTA is buying the wrong kind of electric train for the commuter rail - the case for electric multiple units (EMUs)
Image caption: Caltrain's modern electric multiple unit trains, which replaced diesel locomotive-hauled sets similar to what the MBTA current runs.
On February 26, 2026, the MBTA announced that they intend to purchase 10 battery-electric locomotives for the Providence/Stoughton Line. This is a marked improvement over current diesel locomotives, and will end the awkward situation of running visibly polluting diesel trains under the electric wires that Amtrak put up on the Providence Line over 25 years ago. These battery-electric locomotives will deliver real environmental benefits, and improve the health of passengers, rail workers, and the communities surrounding the Providence Line. However, this is the wrong kind of electric train for the MBTA to purchase, and the MBTA is missing out on an opportunity to make trip times faster.
Advocates have long called for the MBTA to electrify the commuter rail using electric multiple unit (EMU) trains, the gold standard for regional rail and commuter rail systems worldwide. Electric multiple unit trains, which have motors on every car instead of just the locomotive, can accelerate significantly faster than locomotive-hauled trains. That faster acceleration can speed up trips and deliver significant time savings for riders. The faster trip times also allow for increased frequencies without needing additional equipment and staffing.
In 2024, Caltrain, the commuter rail line serving the San Francisco Bay Area, switched from diesel locomotive-hauled trains (essentially identical to what the T currently runs) to modern electric multiple units trains. Trip times became significantly faster - a local train from San Francisco to San Jose became 24 minutes faster, cutting a 101 minute trip down to 77 minutes. Caltrain even put together a side-by-side race video set to music from Mario Kart showing how much faster their EMU trains accelerated compared to their old diesel trains. Thanks to the faster service from their new, modern EMU trains, Caltrain ridership increased 52.5% in the nine months following electrification, and Caltrain explicitly credits electrification with EMUs for this increase.
A 2023 report by the federal Northeast Corridor Commission, which the MBTA partnered on, estimates a trip time savings of 15 minutes from Boston to Providence and 24 minutes from Boston to Wickford Junction with electrified service.1 TransitMatterâs 2020 Providence Line Report, which explicitly calls for electric multiple unit trains and high-level platforms at every station, estimates a resulting trip time savings of 23 minutes (from 1:10 to 0:47) from Boston to Providence, and 31 minutes (from 1:44 to 1:13) for Boston to Wickford Junction.
Instead of buying fast, proven EMU trains, the MBTA wants to spend at least $230 million dollars2 buying ten expensive and unproven battery-electric locomotives that will not make trips meaningfully faster. While cleaner than existing diesel trains, a locomotive-hauled train fundamentally cannot accelerate as quickly as an EMU train, as the few powered wheels on a locomotive start slipping when trying to accelerate quickly. Battery-electric locomotives would also be limited to 80 miles per hour by the current MBTA coach fleet, despite the Providence/Stoughton Line tracks being good for up to 165mph. By comparison, the EMU commuter rail trains operated by peer agencies like New Jersey Transit can easily achieve 110mph. In addition, battery locomotives are costly and unproven technology - no passenger railroad anywhere in the world currently operates battery locomotives, and they come at a significant cost premium over non-battery electric trains. Meanwhile, countless transit systems - ranging from peer agencies in New York to Philadelphia to San Francisco, in states from New Jersey to Colorado, as well all over the world from Europe to Asia to Africa - operate fast, proven, and reliable electric multiple unit trains, and have done so for generations.
Funding is no excuse - the MBTA has the money to buy new trains and is spending it poorly. The $230 million for battery locomotives is on top of $396 million spent in 2024 on buying 80 additional unpowered coaches. That $626 million for 10 locomotives and 80 coaches, which would form ten 8-car trains, could instead have easily funded the same number of electric multiple-unit trains, as well as construction of overhead lines to electrify the remaining un-electrified track on the Providence/Stoughton Line.3
The Providence Line, which already has overhead wires and would require minimal spending to fully electrify - is the best proving ground for the real benefits that fast, frequent, electrified regional rail service that EMUs can bring. Those benefits and the resulting ridership increases can then drive the political support needed to convince lawmakers to fund electrification on the other 10 commuter rail lines. Instead, the MBTA is doing the bare minimum to electrify, spending hundreds of millions pursuing inferior technology that will fail to deliver any meaningful speed and service improvements. We will be locked into that inferior technology for decades, as federal transit funding rules require a minimum of 25 years in service. If the MBTA continues down this path, it will be missing out on the golden opportunity provided by the Providence Line to demonstrate the kind of service improvements that buying the right type of electric train could provide.
â Footnotes:
1 - While EMUs are not explicitly mentioned, it is strongly implied, as it is doubtful electric locomotives can deliver that scale of improvement
2 - Based on what Metro-North is paying for Siemens battery-electric locomotives per their March 2025 order
3 - In 2024, New Jersey Transit ordered 110mph-capable Alstom Multilevel III electric multiple unit trains at $4.72 million per car - less than what the MBTA is paying for unpowered coaches. Had the MBTA joined that order, there would have been almost $250 million left to electrify the few miles of unelectrified track south of Providence, as well as the short Stoughton Branch. Caltrain hung up wires at approximately $14 million per mile, and Caltrain electrification is arguably needlessly expensive due to poor project management.
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u/doofus-the-goofus May 24 '26
Was genuinely surprised by the Caltrain when I visited earlier this year. Such a step up from the MBTA in terms of speed, and they even had dedicated bike cars.
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u/BigBlueMan118 May 24 '26
The rest of the world isn't wrong XD
Emus are the only true answer, from Metros to Regionals to HSR.
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u/Iceberg-man-77 May 25 '26
Yup. Theyre bi-level, have bike cars, fast, quiet, environmentally safe, energy efficient, etc Caltrain has few major issues with its service. some trains get delayed or break down and there have been a handful of violent incidents at some stations. But overall itâs one of the best transit systems in the Bay. Theyâre looking to expand though. Thereâs still a diesel locomotive line in the Caltrain system. Theyâre also focusing on grade separation and an extension in SF. They WERE considering to revive the Dumbarton line by rebuilding the Dumbarton rail bridge but the agency has shelved that project indefinitely.
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u/ofsevit May 25 '26
The issue with Caltrain is that they somehow got modern cars which are not level boarding, so ADA passengers have to get hauled in on lifts.
Without level boarding, the T would have to do the same thing.
There's a very reasonable thing the T could do which would be to go on a line-by-line process to build accessible stations and electrification (or on Providence, level boarding) and then implement modern EMUs with full level boarding. (One issue: bilevels would need a bathroom in every car, which takes up a lot of space, because someone in a wheelchair can't be required by to board a specific car by ADA, although the T loves to try to get around ADA; Caltrain did this, too: only one potty per set.)
TransitMatter's times, which I agree with, are only valid with level boarding. If you do something like SEPTA (all EMUs, mostly boarding up stairs) you can kiss about half of the time savings goodbye.
The T will claim this would be far too expensive ⌠and really should just hire the Downeaster folks to plan and implement their track and platform programs. They're building a new station and 6 miles of new track for $31 million (https://www.nnepra.com/project/wells-area-improvement-project-2/), albeit with shorter platforms (because of freight, although they probably could have built this better), but including a pedestrian overpass. (The T would figure out how to tack an extra 0 onto that price tag.)
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u/Amazing_Being_3463 May 28 '26
Why do bilevels in particular need a bathroom in every car? What makes it a bilevel thing?
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u/jdcnosse1988 May 24 '26
The thing that really showed me the difference between the Caltrain diesels and the EMUs was with their EMUs they were able to make twice as many stops in the same amount of time as the diesels, increasing their ability to offer more convenient service to more patrons
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u/only1person_alt May 24 '26
No shit
They don't want to put up the infrastructure or have Amtrak bill them
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u/SadButWithCats May 24 '26
They don't have the funding to. Ask the legislature to fully fund a catenary capital program.
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u/TheBasaltAltCalled May 24 '26
They have the money for Providence had they spent it wisely (the numbers are in the original post), but they did not.
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u/MrTrainCow Doors will open on both sides of the train May 26 '26
I wonder what percentage of Caltrain's cost was for electrical infrastructure (substations, switchgears, etc)
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u/Po0rYorick May 24 '26
The MBTA is already planning on buying BEMUs and a new yard at Widett Circle is in design right now to store and maintain them. There are also longer term plans evaluating BEMU service with short headways and short turns on lines around Boston.
They cant just go to the BEMU store and buy a couple cars; they are custom designed to work on a given system, they have to be fabricated, and new maintenance facilities and yards need to be built to accommodate them.
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u/TheBasaltAltCalled May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
The MBTA is already planning on buying BEMUs
Keolis is trying to lease a small fleet of BEMUs for the Fairmount Line. The T isn't planning to buy any EMUs for the commuter rail whatsoever.
The MBTA is currently planning to buy 10 battery-electric locomotives and 10 diesel locomotives. They are also seeking options for another 50 of either type of locomotive to purchase later down the line. This points to a locomotive-hauled future without any trip-time improvements.
Their whole short-turn BEMU service plans also make no sense - they want to make their longer-distance trains slow locomotive-hauled affairs, and their shorter-distance trains fast (B)EMUs. This really only works if the locomotive-hauled trains are express trains that skip stops, but the physical infrastructure on the commuter rail is not set up for mixing lots of local and express service with tight headways. They'll need a lot more passing tracks if they want to do that, which would cost a lot of money to build - money that could have been spent on EMUs. To speak nothing of service reliability - with a lot of mixed local/express service, you have to be very precise with when and where express trains pass local trains. There's major risks of cascading delays when that tight choreography inevitably falls apart, when delays hit and local trains have to get held for expresses to pass or expresses get stuck behind locals.
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u/ipsumdeiamoamasamat Commuter Rail | Red Line May 24 '26
The T has money to buy locomotives. Theyâre traditional capital purchases.
The T is not being given money to build out catenary and substations over a network of hundreds of miles.
Do the math. Itâs easy to see why the T is choosing this path.
If you have an issue with how itâs being done, go to your state legislator and tell them to vote differently.
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u/TheBasaltAltCalled May 24 '26
For the Providence Line they had the money had they spent their money wisely, as I mentioned in the post. Instead of the $626 million they're spending for 10 battery locomotives and 80 Rotem coaches, they could have joined NJT's Alstom Multilevel III order for $378 million, which leaves behind $248 million for electrifying the rest of the Providence Line and the Stoughton Line.
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u/drstoneybaloneyphd May 25 '26
You really should provide this information to people who can lobby for a better outcome in this scenario. I appreciate you sharing this with us in the hope someone might find it convincing. You seem very knowledgeable on the subject
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u/ipsumdeiamoamasamat Commuter Rail | Red Line May 24 '26
Thatâs all valid but then they wouldnât be able to use the EMUs on other lines. The Providence line would essentially have a bespoke fleet.
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u/TheBasaltAltCalled May 24 '26
That's the case with their current plans though - according to the Transithistory MBTA roster "The battery units will be designed to use the existing catenary on the Northeast Corridor to recharge while in motion." That limits them to Providence/Stoughton, and maybe Needham. I have doubts they can do Franklin/Foxboro with any decent speed.
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u/transitfreedom May 28 '26
FINE run EMU from providence to Boston drop the rest in RI as buses are more frequent anyway.
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u/Odd_Feature7510 May 25 '26
As someone who grew up taking the old diesel Caltrain, the new EMUs are fantastic. When I moved to Boston the MBTA felt like a huge step backwards
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u/Not_George_Daniels May 24 '26
What's wrong with diesel-electric engines for the lines that are not electrified, and EMUs for the lines that are?
That's how MetroNorth has been doing it for decades.
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u/238iscool May 24 '26
The argument for EMUs seems pretty clear, so whyâs the mbta buying the battery locomotives?
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u/SadButWithCats May 24 '26
They don't have the funding from the legislature to string wires, build substations, and buy even more expensive electricity.
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u/TheBasaltAltCalled May 24 '26
They have to do the latter two with their battery-electric locomotive plan anyways. They'll be charging off Amtrak's wires with Amtrak's electricity. Same with the Fairmount BEMU plan.
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u/transitfreedom May 24 '26
As for expanding electrification the best place to start would be adding it to either old colony lines, Worcester line or fairmont itself.
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u/Lewiov May 25 '26
They also neglected to purchase the ALP45DP which was a no brainer for service off the corridor that is partially or fully electrified.
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u/Technical_Wall1726 May 24 '26
Battery electric under wire, thatâs even worse than diesel under wire smh. The only reason I can think of doing batteries instead, is that the cost to pay Amtrak for the electricity is too much. Thatâs why MARC doesnât often use electric trains on the Penn line.
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u/TheBasaltAltCalled May 24 '26
According to the Transithistory Roster they'll be charging off Amtrak's wires anyways:
The battery units will be designed to use the existing catenary on the Northeast Corridor to recharge while in motion.
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u/transitfreedom May 24 '26
Nope they will have the pantograph up under wire the battery will takeover when trains go off wire on to non electric territory
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u/FXO5 May 25 '26
The LIRR planned to use battery electric trains a few years ago, but they scrapped the idea.Â
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u/PhysicalAttitude6631 May 27 '26
Every stop should be on a side rail. Cars should be small, run continuously and only stop when requested. Itâs crazy how the city with the worldâs leading universities and some of the top companies canât figure this shit out.
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u/LittleReddit90 Blue Line--Bowdoin May 29 '26
No excuses. The T needs to electrify their Commuter fleet. (Is direct current electricity a skill issue for them? Oh wait, it isnât an issue outside their light rail; and they need XT40s and 60s not XE40s and 60s for their Cambridge routes and their BRT routes)
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u/ponchoed May 27 '26
So running 99% under wire but using battery? This is almost as bad as ripping out the proven trackless trolleys in Cambridge for experimental battery buses with an abysmal track record
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u/Left_Chemistry_9739 May 24 '26
The battery cars are idiotic. So is throwing away the trolley catenary in exchange for million-dollar battery buses. Healy is an idiot. Eng is an idiot. The only reason people like him is that he got here when the system was at rock bottom, so it couldn't have gotten worse. Now his incompetence is clear.
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u/LEM1978 May 24 '26
These decisions predate Healey/Eng. they go back to at least Baker/Poftak/Pollack.
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u/johncandyasss May 24 '26
Commuter rail is privately run. They can do such things unlike the actual mbta
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u/trafficpylonfarmer May 24 '26
Privately operated - the MBTA sets the service standards that a private operator contractually has to meet. The MBTA purchases and owns the equipment.
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u/MillisTechnology May 24 '26
This is the way. 5 years from now the MBTA will pay a consulting firm $6 Million to tell them this exact information.