Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority No. 14 Orange Line and No. 4 Red Line cars

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is purchasing 404 new subway cars for the Red and Orange Lines to replace the No. 1 Red Line, No. 2 Red Line, and No. 12 Main Line cars currently used. Of the 404 cars, 152 (designated No. 14 Orange Line) will go towards the Orange Line and 252 (designated No. 4 Red Line) will go towards the Red Line. The pilot No. 14 cars were delivered at the end of 2017, while the pilot No. 4 cars were delivered in late 2019. The No. 14 cars entered service in August 2019, while the No. 4 cars are expected to entered service in December 2020.

History

The MBTA issued a request for proposals (CAP 27-10) in October 2013 for the procurement for the 284 subway cars. The base order consisted of 152 cars to replace the No. 12 cars and add capacity along with 74 cars to replace the No. 1 cars. An option for 58 cars will replace the No. 2 cars. In December 2016, the MBTA elected to purchase 120 more Red Line cars with an option to purchase 14 more. Rather than refurbish the No. 3 Red Line cars, they will be replaced with capacity added.

Six manufactures submitted proposals: Bombardier Transportation, CAF USA, CNR MA Corporation, CSR Corporation, Kawasaki Rail Car, and Hyundai Rotem. Manufacturers were evaluated based on their technical approach, manufacturing plan, past performance, quality assurance plan, and participation of Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises. Out of the six firms, CNR MA scored best. In addition, CNR MA's pricing was the lowest of the six. As CNR MA's proposals were seen as the most favourable, they were awarded the contract to supply the new trains. The company is a joint venture of China CNR Corporation Limited and China Changchun Railway Vehicles Company. Following a merger in 2015 with CSR Corporation, the company was renamed CRRC Corporation.

The new Orange Line and Red Line cars begin construction at CRRC's Changchun facility in China. As part of the contract, a new facility in Springfield, Massachusetts was constructed where final assembly of the cars takes place. The 150,000 square-foot new facility accommodates testing as well as acts as the company's American headquarters. It was scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2017. Final assembly of the first cars was expected to begin in spring of 2018, with the first production cars completed in December of that year.

By the start of November 2016, a two-thirds length, full-sized mock-up of the new Orange Line cars had been built. It was delivered to the MBTA in January 2017. The final design phase was carried out through to March 2017.

In October 2017, the MBTA released video of the prototype Orange Line cars running at the CRRC facility in China. The same month, the CRRC facility in Springfield, Massachusetts was nearing completion. The first four cars were delivered to the Wellington Train Yard on December 20, 2017. They underwent extensive testing. More cars were expected to begin final assembly later in the spring. Production of the cars for the Red Line was expected to begin in mid-summer.

On August 14, 2018, a two-thirds length, full-sized mock-up of the new Red Line cars was unveiled to the public at City Hall plaza. It was completed at the CRRC facility in China and shipped in June.

Initially due to enter service at the end of 2018 or early 2019, the MBTA announced that the new Orange Line cars would not enter service until the spring of 2019. According to general manager Jeff Gonneville, there were delays in testing of the train control system supplied by Alstom. By June 2019, the MBTA advised that the first new Orange Line train was now expected to enter service in the summer. On August 14, 2019, the first train of new Orange Line cars entered service from Wellington Station. New cars are expected to enter service through 2022.

The first new Red Line pilot car appeared to have been completed by September 2019. The first two pilot cars were delivered to the MBTA in early October 2019. They underwent extensive testing at Cabot Yard. In August 2020, the first train underwent further testing between Braintree and Alewife stations for about three hours. The new Red Line cars were set to enter service in autumn 2020.

On December 30, 2020, the first train of new Red Line cars entered service. All cars are expected to be delivered by 2023.

Following the derailment of a CRRC train on the Orange Line in March 2021, the MBTA pulled all CRRC cars from service. According to the MBTA, side bearer pads designed to regulate the amount of force needed to turn the bogies had deteriorated. CRRC claims that the lack of a guardrail at the switch where the derailment occurred was a larger contributing factor.