NJ TRANSIT recently previewed the first of 174 Multilevel III cars during an event at the agency’s Meadows Maintenance Complex in Kearny on Wednesday.
Multilevel III Power Cars are self-propelled and don’t require a separate locomotive. One or more vehicles on a train have incorporated electric motors, and all cars are compliant with the most recent federal regulations.
The rail cars will modernizing the agency’s fleet by improving reliability, capacity and customer comfort. They replace more than 40-year-old single level cars.
The new cars have a maximum speed of 110 miles per hour and feature amenities such as USB charging ports and onboard information displays.
“NJ TRANSIT is committed to improving every aspect of the customer journey, and the 174 new multilevel rail cars will achieve that through vastly improving reliability, increasing capacity, and enhancing the onboard experience,” Kevin Corbett, NJ TRANSIT president and CEO, said.
Alstom Transportation in Plattsburgh, N.Y., manufactured the cars.
The NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors approved the purchase of 113 Multilevel III rail vehicles in 2018. Twenty-five more were ordered in 2022, and 36 more earlier this year.
NJ TRANSIT is the largest statewide public transportation system in the United States and the third largest transit system.