Derwinski has advocated for electrification, starting with the Rock Island.
As they are placing an initial order for only 3 battery locos, it may be a matter of them trying them out, kind of knowing it might fall short of expectations, leaving electrification as the next logical step.
One of the requirements is that the loco has to be able to run at a max speed of 79MPH. In Progress Rail's current "Joule" line of battery freight locos, only one, the SD-70J, can get anywhere close to that speed at 75MPH, and it weighs 428,000 lbs, as opposed to the F40's standard weight of 275,000 lbs.
Metra's recent strategy for acquiring locomotives can best be described as odd, purchasing a bunch of hand-me-downs, then taking delivery this spring of the first of 15 (with an option for 27 more) SD70MACHs, a 6-axle freight loco rebuilt to Tier 3, and now these battery-operated jobs.
