MBTA preps for new Red Line fleet with test track

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) will begin work this fall on a piece of track that will be used for testing new Red Line cars in 2019.

The track will be adjacent to Haul Road and known as Track 61. MBTA says every element of the cars’ systems will be rigorously tested to ensure that the new trains operate safely and reliably upon introduction to passenger service. After the cars are fully tested and approved by an MBTA engineering team, the new Red Line trains will start serving customers on the T’s busiest subway line.

The stretch of track will meet the requirements necessary for proper testing, including:
• No less than 1,800 feet of straight track for test runs
• Close proximity to the Red Line’s maintenance facility
• Ability to move cars from the Red Line’s maintenance facility to the test track with no impact on the main line
• Additional storage for vehicles in close proximity to the test track

MBTA estimates the project’s cost at $32 million and says that the upgrade will commence after the transportation authority solicits bids and awards a contract for the necessary work. Currently on order from the CRRC MA Corporation, 252 new cars will replace the entire existing Red Line fleet by the end of 2023.

The MBTA estimates this replacement, along with minor speed code changes, will boost capacity by 50 percent, raising the current number of trains per hour from 13 to 20. The new cars also have the latest propulsion and braking systems, allowing the achievement of a three-minute headway target, reducing customer wait times. With a larger standardized fleet comprised entirely of new cars, the MBTA says it will also be able to implement a life-cycle maintenance program, resulting in better-maintained vehicles, fewer disabled trains and breakdowns causing service interruptions and an extended service life of at least thirty years.