Passenger Trains > Metra (Chicago) ordering Alstom multilevel cars

Metra (Chicago, IL) ordering 200 Coradia Multilevel cars from Alstom with an option for up to 300 more.

https://metrarail.com/about-metra/newsroom/metra-board-approves-purchase-500-modern-railcars



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/13/21 12:32 by railfan400.

A boxy version of the current lozenge-shaped car. How will the Metra engineers like being shifted to the lower level ? 

While liking this design in general, I too wonder about the placement of the control cab.

Posted from iPhone

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A boxy version of the current lozenge-shaped car.
> How will the Metra engineers like being shifted to
> the lower level ? 

It would be interesting to know if the engineer's were given
a survey like the riders were on what was important to them.

The passenger survey was cleverly worded so that none of the
answers allowed any opposition to be registered.

It is Chicago so the most important thing was how many jobs
are going to the anointed.  A billion dollars gives plenty of
opportunity for crumbs to fall off the table into the pockets of
the connected.

There currently is very low ridership and much of it will never return.
The biggest problem will be where to store hundreds of unused cars. 

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A boxy version of the current lozenge-shaped car.
> How will the Metra engineers like being shifted to
> the lower level ? 

I doubt they'll care, since the door will close off that whole end of the car, no more railfan window. Although it is lower for grade crossing incidents. 

Great looking equipment!

ats90mph Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > A boxy version of the current lozenge-shaped
> car.
> > How will the Metra engineers like being shifted
> to
> > the lower level ? 
>
> I doubt they'll care, since the door will close
> off that whole end of the car, no more railfan
> window. Although it is lower for grade crossing
> incidents.

Although he didn't say it , I think that was joe's point.

kevink Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> While liking this design in general, I too wonder
> about the placement of the control cab.
>

With the modification of the end roof line, the car isn't off the shelf anyway. They could have moved the engineer up as part of the end remake...but that would have cost yet a few more bucks, alas.

TAW

Two sets of doors will speed things up at stations.
But even the old IC Highliners had the engineers cab halfway up the car, not on the lower level.
What are they thinking?

RRTom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> What are they thinking?

Cheap.

TAW

Ridership will get better eventually but will take time. It's definately time that Metra replaces their Gallery Cars that operates on the diesel lines. They are certainly several decade years old. Here in NJ, NJT is finally going to be replacing their a little more than 40 year old Arrow III MUs and it's been time to do that for a while. They aren't in very good shape just like many of the locomotive hauled gallery cars.

Where are the Coradia cars currently used?

The article says the first car should be delivered in 3 1/2 Years -- with the total ordered in 6 Years.

6 years to build 200 cars!  This seems like a slow delivery schedule -- but, maybe Metra wants it that way.

I believe Siemens in Calif. is delivering the Chicago Amtrak cars on a much faster schedule.

But even the old IC Highliners had the engineers cab halfway up the car, not on the lower level.

No. The Highliner cabs were part of the end vestibule, same height as the high level platforms and center vestibules.  Almost the same as the lower level which is one step...a few inches...lower than platform & vestibule level.

They have some sharp end caps on some of there other equipment offerings.
Too bad they couldn't work that design into this car order.
If I was an engineer, I would be very concerned!

The video mentioned that the HVAC units are removable and over top of the end of the car. With that it may not have been easy to move the engineer higher.

wzd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Where are the Coradia cars currently used?

What are those ?

Posted from Android

Lozenge / sausage-link cars from Alstom.
 

filmteknik Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> But even the old IC Highliners had the engineers
> cab halfway up the car, not on the lower level.
>
> No. The Highliner cabs were part of the end
> vestibule, same height as the high level platforms
> and center vestibules.  Almost the same as the
> lower level which is one step...a few
> inches...lower than platform & vestibule level.

I think I'm right: the highliner cab window is about exactly half-way up the front of the car.  The new car's cab window is a couple of feet lower.

A picture is worth a thousand words:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highliner#/media/File:20160212_17_Last_Run_of_Metra_Electric_Highliners_(28668032122).jpg

RRTom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> filmteknik Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > But even the old IC Highliners had the
> engineers
> > cab halfway up the car, not on the lower level.
> >
> > No. The Highliner cabs were part of the end
> > vestibule, same height as the high level
> platforms
> > and center vestibules.  Almost the same as the
> > lower level which is one step...a few
> > inches...lower than platform & vestibule level.
>
> I think I'm right: the highliner cab window is
> about exactly half-way up the front of the car. 
> The new car's cab window is a couple of feet
> lower.