MBTA Wants Full Red Line Replacement

BOSTON, MA — A Mass. Bay Transit Authority board on Monday approved replacing all current cars on the Red Line, a massive and costly effort meant to streamline the system and replace many cars that are decades old.

The no-bid, nearly $280 million buy would be from the same Chinese company currently manufacturing Red and Orange Line cars in Springfield. The decision to replace, rather than refurbish existing cars, comes down in part to price: it's cheaper to buy the new than fix up the old, according to Mass. Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jacquelyn Goddard, who attended the meeting.

The replacement means the T can run up to 20 trains per hours, as opposed to the 13 per hour currently. It takes the Red Line's fleet form 120 to 134. Of those 120, Goddard said in a tweet, 76 have been in use since 1969.

Previously, the MBTA board had talked simply replacing some of those oldest cars, while refurbishing the newer parts of its fleet. The plan proposed Monday would instead replace the whole thing, a bid to save money and increase efficiency by having a uniform fleet.

If the plan proceeds, the new fleet would be up and running in 2025.

Image via Patch archive