Passenger Trains > More Metrolink F125 info

Metrolink has started testing on its Antelope Valley line faster, less-polluting locomotives.

Testing of the Electro-Motive Diesel F125 Spirit-series passenger-rail locomotives began this week and is expected to continue for up to three months. To minimize impact to surrounding communities, nearly all testing is scheduled to occur during daytime hours instead of at night, officials said.

Through June, testing locations will include Pomona, San Dimas, La Verne, Glendora, Azusa and Irwindale, on tracks that are not normally used by Metrolink trains, and the Antelope Valley and Orange County lines.

Testing is a federal regulatory requirement before they can be used for passenger service. Last week, Metrolink was granted permission by the Federal Railroad Administration to proceed on its testing.

Once the testing period concludes, Metrolink will begin to deploy the new locomotives across its system.
Built in Indiana, the 40 locomotives have turbocharged 20-cylinder, 4,700-horsepower diesel engines and are designed to operate at speeds up to 125 mph while pulling 10 passenger cars, enabling them to meet potential speed requirement increases.

The company says it is the fastest diesel-electric locomotive in North America and the first in the world to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Tier 4" pollution standards for locomotives.

Metrolink was the first passenger railroad in North America to purchase transit locomotives designed to meet the Tier 4 standards, EMD says.

The new locomotives will reduce particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 85% over current Metrolink locomotives, Metrolink officials say. In addition, they have up to 57% more horsepower.

Money for the new locomotives comes from 12 state and local agencies, including part of the $9.9 billion bond California voters passed in 2008 for the state's proposed high-speed rail system and grants from the South Coast Air Quality Management District and Caltrans.

High-Speed Rail Authority officials said the high-speed rail bond money for the locomotives is part of an $89 million investment of "connectivity" funds allocated to install new engines in existing locomotives or purchase stronger, faster, and "greener" locomotives, and recondition and improve passenger cars.

The new locomotives also have crash "energy management" technology and "positive train control" equipment - a computerized system that assumes control if an engineer exceeds speed restrictions or ignores signals.

The "positive train control" system went into service across the 341-mile Metrolink network in 2015, nearly seven years after 25 people, in a collision blamed on an engineer sending text messages while operating the train.

From the Antelope Valley Press newspaper....

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

The official release and schedule from Metrolink states that testing on the Antelope Valley line will be on June 13, not today.