Every train car on the Red Line will be replaced by 2023, under a deal approved Monday by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. A new $280 million contract will purchase between 120 and 134 cars for the Red Line, in addition to a preexisting contract to replace the other half of the fleet. The decision also cancels plans to overhaul the existing cars. Officials said it will cost approximately $310,000 less per car to buy new ones instead of refurbishing the old vehicles. "The T will end up with 120 new cars good for 30 years instead of getting no more than 10 years of extra life out of a fleet of 84 cars that are already nearly 25 years old," the MBTA wrote in a presentation shown to reporters Monday. A Chinese company, China Railroad Rolling Stock Corp. is building a factory in Springfield to manufacture the cars and is already contracted to replace the entire Orange Line fleet and over 130 other Red Line cars. The factory is expected to be completed by 2017, and manufacturing would begin around April 2018. Many of the old cars have been in use on the Red Line since 1993 or 1994. The MBTA expects to spend about $33 million to maintain those cars until the new full new fleet is available. The new cars cost about $2.43 million each. MBTA officials argued that a fleet of standardized cars built by a single manufacturer would be more efficient for training and repairs than putting the contract out to bid for other manufacturers.

Every train car on the Red Line will be replaced by 2023, under a deal approved Monday by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

A new $280 million contract will purchase between 120 and 134 cars for the Red Line, in addition to a preexisting contract to replace the other half of the fleet. The decision also cancels plans to overhaul the existing cars.


Officials said it will cost approximately $310,000 less per car to buy new ones instead of refurbishing the old vehicles.

"The T will end up with 120 new cars good for 30 years instead of getting no more than 10 years of extra life out of a fleet of 84 cars that are already nearly 25 years old," the MBTA wrote in a presentation shown to reporters Monday.



A Chinese company, China Railroad Rolling Stock Corp. is building a factory in Springfield to manufacture the cars and is already contracted to replace the entire Orange Line fleet and over 130 other Red Line cars.

The factory is expected to be completed by 2017, and manufacturing would begin around April 2018.

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.@MassDOT CEO Pollack today briefed media on #MBTA proposal to buy 120 more new #Redline cars. This means entire fleet would be replaced pic.twitter.com/sSIShAgdFr — Joe Pesaturo (@JoePesaturo) December 12, 2016

Many of the old cars have been in use on the Red Line since 1993 or 1994. The MBTA expects to spend about $33 million to maintain those cars until the new full new fleet is available.



The new cars cost about $2.43 million each.

MBTA officials argued that a fleet of standardized cars built by a single manufacturer would be more efficient for training and repairs than putting the contract out to bid for other manufacturers.