The Long Island Rail Road rolled out a new fleet of trains, known as M9 cars, for passenger rail service Wednesday.
Commuters have waited a long time for this fleet of M9 railcars. They’re safer and cleaner…and they were expected nearly two years ago.
Manufacturing delays, design problems and a derailment of several of the cars last year set the LIRR back.
In the meantime, the LIRR relied on its M3 trains from the early 1980s to help serve some of the commuter rail’s 360,000 riders a day. They have torn seats and wood grain interior.
The newer M7 trains make up three-quarters of the railroad’s cars, and have been around for nearly two decades.
The electrical, modernized M9 trains look and feel much like the Metro-North’s New Haven Line.
The rest of the 202-car fleet is expected to roll out March 2021.
