They were when I was there in August 2022. I’ll be able to see if they still operate in October!Following on from the useful thread on what to see rail-wise in Chicago, does anyone know if gallery cars are still in use in the area?
At least you can be confident it'll have an EMD prime mover under the hoodIt's the loco that will be powering them that is less predictable
If you're talking about the Metra Nippon Sharyo passenger cars then yes, they aren't going anywhere any time soon, all metra passenger services are operated by them (or a version of them)
It's the loco that will be powering them that is less predictable
Yes those are the ones I'm talking about, they will eventually be replaced but not soon, they will form the backbone of all Metra services for the time beingI'm talking about double level coaches where the upper level consists of a balcony on each side with an area open to the lower level between them. I don't know who made them.
Aren't some of them being replaced with more conventional double deck coaches from Alstom?
That is true! Unless of course you're using the electric serviceAt least you can be confident it'll have an EMD prime mover under the hood
Yes those are the ones I'm talking about, they will eventually be replaced but not soon, they will form the backbone of all Metra services for the time being
They've managed to order some battery-powered FLIRT units from Stadler - 8 of them, I think. Recent Youtube videos and reports elsewhere don't show any sign of major fleet replacement that I'm aware of.
I've done some more digging: the 2021 order was for 200 Coradia coaches from Alstom, with a contract option for 300 more. Based on the reports from 2021, construction should be underway, with the first vehicle due some time later this year (42 months from contract finalisation, which was apparently in March 2021). But it seems to have gone suspiciously quiet since then - you'd have thought by now both Metra and Alstom would want publicity photos with mock-ups, bodyshells under construction, test running, etc. I will see whether folk I know in Chicago have any more idea about this.
WASHINGTON — Metra will receive $100 million to purchase 50 new multilevel commuter rail cars, the Federal Transit Administration announced today, part of almost $631 million in federal funding awarded through the FTA’s Rail Vehicle Replacement Program.
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Metra placed an order for 200 new multilevel cars from Alstom in January 2021, along with an option for up to 300 additional cars [see “Metra board approves order …,” News Wire, Jan. 1, 2021]. This funding, along with $100 in local matching funds, will allow Metra to exercise part of the option.
Metra chief mechanical officer Kevin Clifford said that the original order is running behind schedule, saying that Alstom is still finalizing the design. “As for delivery, we should have our first car on site in 2025, and full-scale production should begin in mid-2027."
Someone another forum has turned up this blog post from a month ago. It appears to be summarising a Metra board meeting, specifically the new Stadler order and an update on the Alstom order. The relevant information on the Alstom order:
Yes they are still in use from when I was there last fall; and still being used so the conductor can check tickets on the gallery level from the bottom level.
This is an Metra video of what the new cars should be like, when they eventually appear:
Like many other US commuter rail systems, Metra suffers from schedules designed around 9-to-5 commuters, with infrequent (and in some cases no) service outside peak hours.I've just seen the METRA ridership figures and they aren't encouraging. Dropping significantly year on year before Covid, and a very poor post-Covid recovery.
Like many other US commuter rail systems, Metra suffers from schedules designed around 9-to-5 commuters, with infrequent (and in some cases no) service outside peak hours.
Following on from the useful thread on what to see rail-wise in Chicago, does anyone know if gallery cars are still in use in the area?