USA: The motor car was on display at a depot in Kearney run by the state-owned passenger operator NJ Transit. The first train with such cars, which will be tested soon, is expected to enter service in New Jersey in 2025, with the rest of the trains by 2029.
The trains will replace the Arrow III single-deck EMUs built by General Electric more than 40 years ago. The Multilevel III will have a higher operating speed of 177 km/h instead of 160 km/h and an 11% increase in passenger capacity with maintenance required every 644,000 km instead of only 32,000 km.
The contract for the delivery of the trains was signed in 2018. Then, NJ Transit and Bombardier Transportation, owned by Alstom in 2021, agreed on the production of 113 Multilevel III trains. 61 cars were ordered in February 2022 and July 2024, making for a total purchase price of $914 mln. Alstom builds the trains at its Plattsburgh plant.
