Entered service 1992 | Constructed 1991–1992 Number built 38 | |
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Maximum speed 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) Operators Shore Line East, Metro-North Railroad, QIT-Fer et Titane | ||
Mafersa coaches are railroad cars originally built for Virginia Railway Express. They are currently operated by Shore Line East and QIT-Fer et Titane. Because of their lack of automatic doors they are prohibited from running into Grand Central Terminal. In addition, the undercarriage clearances preclude running at more than 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) in third rail territory as found south and west of Pelham. Hence, the Connecticut Department of Transportation does not use them in the Metro North Railroad equipment pool. The cab cars numbered 1701–1719.
Contents
History
Mafersa built the coaches new for the Virginia Railway Express at $24.7 million, or $600,000–$700,000 per car. VRE sold 33 of the coaches to the Connecticut Department of Transportation in 2004 for its Shore Line East service. QIT-Fer et Titane, a Quebec mining company, purchased the remaining five cars in 2008.
Routes served
These trains are run mainly from New Haven to New London, Connecticut, with two trains a day run all the way to Stamford. When these trains are run west of New Haven they are operated by Metro North.