Wabtec Corporation of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, USA has secured a $386 million order from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of New York for R255 hybrid battery-diesel work locomotives.

This is a follow-on order and includes both locomotives and spare parts. It is part of the MTS’a Capital Plan to upgrade the infrastructure of New York’s transit network. The additional locomotives will also improve the capabilities and safety of maintenance staff.

The locomotives will be built at Wabtec’s design and development centre at Erie in Pennsylvania, with a planned delivery date starting in 2027.

Planned to replace ageing equipment, the new locomotives incorporate state-of-the-art hybrid traction units, which will deliver enhanced reliability and operational efficiency, and improve the air quality across the network. Maintenance crews will benefit from the new locomotives with zero emissions when they are operated on battery power, which will improve working conditions, especially in tunnels, during subway construction, maintenance, and repairs.

The locomotives are rated at approximately 500 kwh and can operate in “battery only” mode for several hours, which is especially useful when working in confined work zones and for moving work trains when power to the third rail is switched off.

Advanced features of the new locomotives include CCTV cameras and video recorders to capture images of the track, lineside assets, and signalling equipment, as well as onboard diagnostics to support smart maintenance.

In 2023, Wabtec Corporation secured a multi-million-dollar contract to supply brakes and couplers for New York City Transit cars. The company has a manufacturing facility in the UK at Barton-under-Needwood in Staffordshire.

“The success of the R255 hybrid locomotive is a tribute to the strong working relationship between Wabtec and the MTA. Our collaboration positioned this locomotive as the ideal solution to maintain the subway system efficiently and reliably.”

Alan Hamilton, Wabtec Vice President of Engineering