Metra’s railcar program recently fully rehabilitated 302 railcars while saving taxpayers more than $100 million versus outsourcing.

The program, housed in Metra’s 49th Street shops on the South Side of Chicago, takes worn-out cars, strips them down and rehabilitates them to like-new condition in about four weeks – all for about $850,000 each, which Metra says is less than the cost of outsourcing the work and far less than the cost of a new railcar. 

“Metra is extremely proud of its rehab programs and the dedicated workers who are its heart and soul,” said Metra Executive Director and CEO Jim Derwinski. “We are not only saving regional taxpayers and our riders money, but we are turning out quality rehabs that ensure our riders will travel in safety and comfort for many years to come.” 

The first round of the railcar program, which began in 2010 and finished in 2017, renovated 176 cars manufactured by Amerail and delivered to Metra between 1995 and 1998. The work then moved to 302 cars manufactured by Nippon Sharyo and delivered to Metra between 2002 and 2008.  

Metra notes it had an in-house program to rehabilitate locomotives for several decades and has a newer program to rehab the self-propelled electric cars used on the Metra Electric Line. It also recently started work on painting and making minor repairs to locomotives owned by the Trinity Railway Express. 

“With our in-house talent, knowledge and expertise, it makes sense for us to assist other railroads that need to extend the life of their railcars and locomotives,” Derwinski said. 

In the railcar rehab program, Metra says each car is disassembled down to the ribbing and outfitted with new passenger amenities such as electric outlets to power phones and other small electronics; sensitive-edge outer doors that will retract if they come in contact with a person or object; four new LED signs per car to display station announcements; and new toilets, bathrooms, wheelchair lifts, composite floors and seats. The upgrades also include overhauled air conditioning systems, upgraded battery chargers used for emergency lighting, in-car camera systems and hardware components for the federally mandated Positive Train Control safety system. 

Metra notes the railcars emerge from the program like brand-new cars and are good to serve customers for another 12 to 15 years.