Chicago Illinois commuter rail agency Metra has received a $169.3 million federal grant. The Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) grant will provide funding for the railroad to buy battery powered trainsets. Metra will be the first rail agency in the country to receive Battery Electric Multiple Units (BEMUs). Funding will cover the procurement of 16 trainsets, expected to hit the rails in the next few years.
Growing Demand For Alternative Powered Trains
Rail agencies are seeing alternatives power options for trains as they push for more environmentally sustainable trains. In California, Caltrans placed an order in October 2023 with rail manufacturer Stadler for zero emission hydrogen powered trainsets. San Francisco commuter rail agency Caltrain placed an order with Stadler for Battery Electric Multiple Unit trainsets to operate alongside electric trains. Similarly, Metra will operate their BEMUs on the Rock Island Line replacing aging traditional gas guzzling polluting locomotives. The BEMU fleet will provide Metra more than just environmental benefits. The trains will be able to accelerate and decelerate faster than a traditional diesel powered train. With the 16 new BEMU trains, Metra will be able to meet their objective of providing more frequent all day regional service across their network. Supplementing the Battery BEMU trains, new multilevel railcars from Alstom will join the fleet over the next few years.