Governor Hochul Announces Metro-North to Operate First-in-the-Nation Battery- and Electric-Powered Locomotives for Penn Station Access

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced details of a major expansion of Metro-North Railroad’s railcar fleet, unveiling plans to add new trains that will provide New Haven Line service to Penn Station and four additional stations in the Bronx.

“New York’s transportation system sets the standard for clean and reliable transit in North America, and we are further expanding and modernizing our transit system to better connect every community across the state,” Governor Hochul said. “I am committed to advancing environmentally-friendly and clean modes of transportation — that’s how we fight the climate crisis while delivering faster and more efficient service to riders"

In a first for North America, the passenger trains will be powered by battery- and electric-powered locomotives offering clean, green zero-emission service. The locomotives will generally draw electrical power from the overhead wires known as catenary, and switch to battery mode for tracks in and around Penn Station where electrical traction power has different characteristics. The Siemens Mobility Charger locomotives were based on the leading locomotive platform in Europe, the Vectron, and the Siemens battery and electric Charger locomotive is the next generation locomotive for North America.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “Transit is the antidote to climate change, and these locomotives — the first ever in North America — demonstrate, again, the MTA’s commitment to using innovation to green the region.”

President of MTA Metro-North Railroad Catherine Rinaldi said, “In a few years, Metro-North’s Penn Access service will revolutionize how New Haven Line customers travel around the region, creating a link between communities in the Bronx and employment opportunities in West Midtown and along the New Haven Line in Westchester County and Connecticut. What better way to inaugurate this new service than with cutting edge battery-electric locomotives that will set a new standard for environmental friendliness and overall reliability?”

MTA Chief of Rolling Stock Program Tim Mulligan said, “These new locomotives, powered exclusively by electricity but capable of operating on non-electrified lines via battery, will take a technology that is common in Europe and use it to revolutionize railroading in North America. The battery/electric locomotives will enable Metro-North to provide reliable, extremely environmentally friendly service using existing electrified infrastructure.”

Siemens Mobility North America President and CEO Marc Buncher said, “On behalf of the more than 4,500 Siemens Mobility team members in the U.S., we are thrilled to bring battery/electric locomotives to the New York Metropolitan region. These American-Made locomotives will help to reinvent rail travel, offering more reliable and sustainable travel for millions of commuters each year"

If approved by the MTA Board — as anticipated on Wednesday — 13 battery- and electric-powered locomotives will be purchased by exercising an option on an existing contract with Siemens Mobility North America, which is already building 33 dual-mode locomotives for Metro-North that operate under diesel or third rail power.

The new locomotives are expected to be similar in appearance to those 4,200-horsepower diesel/electric locomotives, known by the model number SC42-DM, which Metro-North unveiled in November 2024. The locomotives will pull or push coach cars, depending on the direction of travel, a configuration similar to Metro-North’s diesel trains.