Electro-battery trains for the MTA (Long Island Railroad and Metro-North Railroad)

[NeueAmtrakCalifornia]

For non-electrified operations, Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Railroad use electro-diesel locomotives hauling coaches. Instead of having a heavy locomotive hauling coaches, both railroads can invest in buying dual-mode EMUs (using a battery in place of diesel), which are lighter, quieter, offer better acceleration, and are better-suited for branch line services.

Although no one has manufactured a third rail+battery EMU, Stadler has manufactured the FLIRT in battery, hybrid diesel-battery, and electro-diesel-battery, and is willing to make custom designs, so Stadler can create a variant of the FLIRT tailor-made to the LIRR's (and MNCR's) needs. Obviously this would change a normally low-floor train to a high-floor train (similar to the UK variant). This train (dubbed FLIRT MTA) would replace the DE30ACs, DM30ACs and C3s for the LIRR and the P32AC-DM, BL20GH, and the Comet IIs and Shoreliner cars on the East of Hudson services (New Haven and its branches, Hudson and Harlem lines) for the MNCR (some of the displaced cars can go to the west of Hudson services).

 

[west point]

I would suspect that Amtrak will not want 3rd rail installations either east or north of New Haven. The extra costs required to make the signal systems compatible with both 25 Kv 69 Hz overhead CAT and !~ 600 V third rail are high. Add in costs of PTC and cab signal systems as well.
Have noted the extra costs for the east river tunnels 12 Kv 25 Hz CAT and 3rd rail..

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

Wouldn't it be simpler just to electrify?

 

[NeueAmtrakCalifornia]

Wouldn't it be simpler just to electrify?

It would cost more to electrify non-electrified tracks when compared to buying new rolling stock. Also, let's be honest, east of Jamaica, they should replace third rail with 25 kV 60 Hz AC overhead wires but that would require having the M7As, M3As and M9s to run on overhead wires.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

The electrification will last longer than the rolling stock and battery powered vehicles have a pretty serious problem with recycling.

 

[NeueAmtrakCalifornia]

The electrification will last longer than the rolling stock and battery powered vehicles have a pretty serious problem with recycling.

I'm talking about costs, and new rolling stock is a lot cheaper than electrifying non-electrified tracks, and with the difficulty of electrifying non-electrified tracks (not just costs but also the freight railroads exercising a lot of power, even on tracks they don't own, because double-stacks (see Caltrain)), most companies just opt for non-electric rolling stock, and with batteries beginning to become the new thing as rail lines move away from diesel due to environmental concerns...