Number built 643 | ||
 | ||
Manufacturer Bombardier Transportation Built at La Pocatière, Quebec and Plattsburgh, New York Replaced All remaining Comet I/II/IIIs
All Comet IBs
All remaining MARC IIs Constructed 2006-2009 (NJT base order)
2012-2013 (NJT series II)
2008-2011 (AMT)
2014 (MARC) Entered service 2006-2013 (NJT)
2009-2011 (AMT)
2014-2016 (MARC) | ||
The Bombardier MultiLevel Coach is a bi-level passenger rail car manufactured by Bombardier for use on commuter rail lines. The first units were delivered in 2006 and deliveries (in various orders) continued to 2014.
Overview
There are 643 of these coaches in service as of 2015 on NJ Transit, Agence Metropolitaine de Transport (AMT) of Montreal rail lines, and MARC. NJT received 429 cars, including 62 cab cars, while AMT received 160 cars, including 26 cab cars. AMT's initial order in 2007 was for 60 coaches, with options for a further 100, since fully exercised. The MARC order consists of 39 trailers and 15 cab cars.
The coaches have a two-by-two seating arrangement and more knee and leg room than single level coaches. The seats are also bigger and it has 15-30% more seating than on single level coaches. The intermediate levels have 5 inward-facing flip-up seats on each side, for wheelchairs or bicycles. On cab cars, a large equipment locker behind the cab replaces one row of seats. There are single-width side doors at intermediate levels for high-platform loading, and similar doors outboard of the bogies except at the cab position on cab cars. The latter doors of NJ Transit coaches have stepwell traps, allowing these doors to be used for both high and low-platform loading. AMT coaches have one-piece end doors without traps, which can be used only for low-platform loading. There are also an automated announcement system and LED destination screens.
MARC, which operates commuter rail service in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, ordered 54 of the cars using the option from the latest NJ Transit order. These cars are classified on the MARC system as MARC IV. The MARC Multilevels were delivered in June/July 2014, with coaches in service shortly afterwards. The first cab cars were accepted for service as of September 2016.
All multilevel cab cars are equipped with a Nathan-Airchime K5LA (with the exception of AMT using a K5CA-LS) and a Graham White 373 E-Bell.