Metro-North passenger cars are now the focus of a major MTA procurement, with 252 new single-level coaches open for proposals. The order is intended to replace older equipment on two key commuter lines.

Metro-North passenger cars: MTA targets 2029
Photo – Office of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul

New Metro-North passenger cars and the RFP

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority is inviting railcar manufacturers to compete for the work through a Request for Proposal. The base order covers 252 new single-level passenger coaches for Metro-North Railroad. The MTA RFP also carries an option for 377 additional cars, reserved for future expansion of the Metro-North service area.

The new Metro-North railcars would replace coaches from the 1980s and 1990s. Those vehicles currently operate on the Hudson and Harlem lines and make up 23% of Metro-North’s active passenger fleet. As previously covered by Railway Supply, the procurement separates the base replacement order from the additional cars reserved for possible future expansion.

“It’s time to upgrade the Metro-North passenger experience, with more modern, more reliable railcars,” said MTA Chair/CEO Janno Lieber. “And this RFP is designed to get manufacturers and suppliers to think outside the box so they can deliver faster, better, and cheaper than in the past.”

Funding through the MTA 2025-29 Capital Plan

The new coaches will be funded through the MTA 2025-29 Capital Plan. That plan received $68 billion in funding from Governor Hochul and the State Legislature in the FY26 Enacted State Budget.

Across the wider MTA system, the Capital Plan includes $12 billion for new rolling stock. Of that amount, $6 billion is earmarked specifically for Metro-North to upgrade passenger railcars and infrastructure.

The procurement also sits within the MTA’s new Rolling Stock Program. That program guides the agency’s rolling stock strategy and keeps attention on both acquisition and lifetime costs for major assets, including buses, subway cars and commuter rail trains.

Features, reliability and service timeline

The contract gives manufacturers room to innovate within accepted design practices while seeking the best value for riders’ tax dollars. The order includes three car types: cab cars with toilets, cab cars without toilets and trailer cars with toilets. According to the agency, each seat can accommodate approximately 100 riders.

The RFP’s technical specifications focus on reliability, accessibility, service, security, performance and the overall customer experience. Planned features include two ADA-designated wheelchair areas per train car, ADA-compliant toilet access, higher-quality announcement systems with an audio inductive loop for deaf people, high-resolution digital information screens, passenger Wi-Fi, device charging outlets, bike and luggage racks, and onboard security cameras.

The new cars are compatible with Metro-North locomotives and are designed to operate across the current and future Metro-North service territory. Reliability is another core target: the new coaches are expected to achieve a higher mean distance between failures, or MDBF, which measures how long a car can operate without issues, repairs or maintenance.

Current cars have an average MDBF rate of 430,000 miles. The new coaches are expected to reach 570,000 miles, a change the MTA says translates into a faster and smoother ride for more than 250,000 daily Metro-North customers.

Proposals will be accepted through October 2026. The contract is expected to be awarded in early 2027, and the new passenger cars are anticipated to enter service in 2029.