Next Stop Boston: MBTA's Red Line Test Cars Are On Their Way

BOSTON — They're coming. The pilot cars for the Red Line have landed in New Jersey and will make their way to Cabot Yard In South Boston for some testing, similar to what happened with the Orange Line trains.

Testing began on the orange line train cars in May 2018 and then they hit the tracks this past April. It's part of an $8 billion, 5-year capital investment program that began July 1, 2018.

The expanded Red Line fleet of 252 modern, spacious vehicles, will allow for an additional 65,000 riders per day on the already crowded Red Line, according to MBTA officials.

In 2014, the MBTA awarded CRRC MA Corporation a contract to design and manufacture 152 new Orange Line and 252 new Red Line cars, which will replace and increase the number of the MBTA's current fleet of 120 Orange Line and 218 Red Line cars.

The Orange Line cars are expected to all be on the tracks by the end of 2020. The Red Line cars will be fully replaced by 2023 if all goes according to plan.

Then there's the signal upgrades: Orange and Red Line signal upgrades began in late 2018 and expected to be finished by 2021 and 2022. Upgrades include a complete signaling and train control systems update for both the Red and Orange Lines as well as work at Columbia Junction on the Red Line and wayside signal replacement work along the southwest corridor of the Orange Line.

Previously:

Red Line Back To Pre-Derailment Service: MBTA

Now Arriving: Second Set Of New Orange Line Train

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).