EMU order nets Bombardier $425 million

announced Friday, July 22 that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority/Metro-North Railroad (MTA/MNR) and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority/ Long Island Rail Road (MTA/LIRR) have exercised options for additional M-7 electric multiple unit (EMU) commuter rail cars under an existing contract.

MTA/MNR’s new order consists of 36 options valued at approximately $80 million, while MTA/LIRR’s order consists of 158 options valued at approximately $345 million, for a total value of approximately $425 million.

With these options, Bombardier now has firm orders for 1,172 M-7 cars from the MTA’s two commuter railroads – 336 from MTA/MNR and 836 from MTA/LIRR. This includes a base order of 192 cars (from MTA/LIRR) and 980 option cars (from both MTA/LIRR and MTA/MNR).

Total value of the firm orders received to date is approximately $2.5 billion. Should all remaining options be exercised, the entire contract would total 1,266 cars and be valued at $2.7 billion.

To date, Bombardier has delivered more than 630 M-7 EMUs to the two commuter railroads. The new M-7 cars are replacing electric railcars that are approaching 40-years old. The M-7s feature IGBT propulsion, energy efficient dynamic braking and on-board monitoring and diagnostic systems.

Stainless steel carbodies for the M-7 cars are constructed at Bombardier’s manufacturing site in La Pocatière, Québec with final assembly and manufacturing taking place at facilities in Plattsburgh, New York. Sub-assembly and manufacturing processes for components, such as bogie frames, are carried out at Bombardier’s facility in Auburn, New York.