Metra to show first battery train meant for its Beverly Branch on Oct. 5

The first Metra battery-electric train, one of eight Stadler FLIRT trainsets on order, will go on display in Chicago on October 5 and is expected to carry passengers by 2028.

Stadler will present the train at its APTA EXPO 2026 exhibit at 1:30 p.m. that day. The manufacturer calls it its first battery FLIRT built for the U.S. market. It says the design lets agencies modernize service without electrifying whole corridors.

Planned route on the Beverly Branch

When Metra’s board approved the purchase on February 21, 2024, the agency said it planned to run the trainsets on the Rock Island Line’s Beverly Branch. The branch covers 16.4 miles between LaSalle Street and Blue Island. Metra said zero-emission service there would help air quality in economically disadvantaged parts of Chicago’s South Side and the nearby southern suburbs.

The regional transit authority for northeast Illinois also sees a role for the trains. Northern Illinois Transit Authority Chairman Tom Kotarac said:

“As NITA begins its work to create a more cohesive and useful public transportation system in northeast Illinois, we are excited about the potential for these new trainsets to help increase service and improve regional connectivity, while at the same time reducing regional pollution and noise.”

Range and charging

Metra put the expected range of a fully charged trainset at 45 to 65 miles. It said a charge from 20% to 80%, enough for the train to operate, should take roughly 20 to 30 minutes.

Stadler says the train stores energy in lithium-ion batteries on board, so it can run on non-electrified lines with no local emissions. It can top up from existing 480-volt cabling at yards and terminals or from dedicated chargers. Regenerative braking also returns energy to the batteries.

That is more detail than Metra gave in 2024, when it said it had not yet settled on the charging setup or what it would cost. Stadler’s 2026 announcement gives no cost for charging equipment.

Stadler’s battery FLIRT Akku trains have carried passengers in Germany since 2023. They run on regional networks that are only partly electrified, where they replaced diesel trains.

What the $154 million order covers

Metra’s base contract with Stadler U.S. is worth $154 million for eight two-car trainsets, a sum that also includes engineering, training and spare parts. Options worth up to $181.4 million more would add eight trainsets and as many as 32 trailer cars. Those cars could lengthen sets to three or four cars.

A $169.3 million federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant covers the base order and part of the options. The state PAYGO program pays the grant’s required 20% local match.

A two-car set will have 112 seats, and every added trailer car about 46 more. Boarding will be at low level, with lifts for ADA compliance. Metra said the purchase would let it retire some of its oldest diesel locomotives and railcars.

Final assembly is planned at Stadler’s plant in Salt Lake City under Buy America rules. Stadler had built or was building FLIRTs for three other American transit agencies at the time of the 2024 order. Metra noted that those ran on diesel gensets or hydrogen fuel cells, not batteries.