Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced Tuesday the state will spend more than $226 million to buy 80 more commuter rail cars for Metro-North’s New Haven Line.
The purchase grows the entire passenger fleet to 380 commuter rail cars. The expenditure includes spare parts and special tools to maintain the fleet as well as testing, administration costs and security cameras for all the cars.
Rell said she expects the state Bond Commission to approve the measure on Aug. 11.
In 2009, Connecticut agreed to pay $713 million for 300 rail cars from Japan’s Kawasaki Rail Car.
The purchase of the rail cars is part of a large initiative by the governor to keep and grow jobs by having an efficient movement of people through vast improvements to Connecticut’s highways, airports, bus systems and commuter rail.
“These new cars represent one of the most important investments Connecticut has made in its transportation system in decades,” Rell said in a statement. “Filling out the fleet to 380 cars means we will have plenty of cars for Metro-North as well as equipment to serve Shore Line East – and enough cars for service expansions in the years to come.”
The state announced last week it was spending $260 million to improve the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail line as a match for potential $220 million in federal funding to put high-speed passenger rail along the New England corridor.
