State-Of-The-Art Train Cars Coming to NY Metro-North Lines

The Hudson Valley's Hudson and Harlem Lines are finally getting long-promised railcars to replace the metal boxes of sadness we now travel in.

The same train cars have been traveling back and forth between Poughkeepsie and Grand Central Terminal for over 40 years, and they look it. Finally, the MTA has announced the purchase of 316 brand new M-9A cars that will be put to service in the Hudson Valley and Long Island.

According to Governor Kathy Hochul, 156 of the new railcars will replace the M-3 cars on the Hudson and Harlem lines that "are beyond their service life".

State of the Art Improvements to Metro-North and LIRR Trains

According to the MTA, the new trains will feature many upgrades, including glass windows, automatic bathroom doors and USB ports at each seat (hopefully USB-C ports, not the already outdated USB-A ones found on other train lines).

Ten years ago, we reported on early plans to purchase the new train cars, which would also include a new, automated PA system that would conceivably not squelch with feedback every time a conductor screamed into it next to a loudspeaker. Upgraded air conditioning and heating systems, as well as doors that open without having to use brute strength, are also on the list of new features.

When Will New Train Cars Appear on Metro-North's Hudson and Harlem Lines?

In 2015, the MTA promised the new trains would be in service within 4 years but that never happened. Now, Governor Hochul says that the first pilot cars will be put into service for the LIRR by 2030. Over the following two years,  M-3 cars will be replaced with the new M-9A cars on Metro-North's Hudson and Harlem lines.