By Railfan & Railroad Staff

Metra is being awarded its largest discretionary grant ever — a $169.3 million federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant — to buy battery-powered, zero-emission trainsets. Metra will be among the first in the nation to use the innovative trainsets that are already in use in Germany, France and Australia, the agency announced this week.

The funding will allow Metra to purchase up to 16 trainsets. The lower-capacity trains would be more economical to operate and could allow the agency to provide more frequent service during off-peak hours. Metra will most likely use the trainsets on its Rock Island Line. 

“We think zero-emission trainsets could be an exciting and positive addition to Metra’s fleet for a variety of reasons,” said Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski. “Beyond the environmental and noise reduction benefits, they also offer savings in energy consumption as well as better efficiency, flexibility, and reliability. Along with our other initiatives, they would continue to make Metra a responsible and effective leader in green energy technology.”

Metra is already trying to build three battery-powered F40PH-3 locomotives.