Longer Green Line 'supercar' slated to arrive in 2027 after officials approved $810M contract

If all goes according to plan, MBTA Green Line riders will need to prepare for the arrival of the supercar.

Thats because the MBTA Board of Directors on Wednesday approved an $810 million contract with production company CAF USA to deliver over 100 Type 10 Supercars for the Green Line vehicles that MBTA officials said are safer, more reliable, and accessible. The contract approval comes as the agency is grappling with the fallout of a federal safety report and the shutdown of the Orange Line.

MBTA Chief of Capital Transformation Angel Pea said the new Type 10 supercars, scheduled to first appear on MBTA tracks in Spring 2027, are a key part of transforming the Green Line.

Its really our commitment to improve the quality of service for everyone. And I think its amazing, the benefits that the supercar will bring, Pea said in an interview. This program has been well thought-out and so this is an important milestone not only for the T, but for the riders.

The project is still in the early stages four pilot vehicles are scheduled to be delivered in Spring 2026, the first production vehicle comes a year later, and the last vehicle is slated to arrive in Spring 2031. The vehicles are currently in the procurement phase, and the design phase is scheduled to begin this fall, according to the MBTA.

A timeline of the production and delivery schedule for the MBTA's Type 10 'Supercar.' (Courtesy of MBTA)

The cars are 40 feet longer than the Green Line vehicles in use today. They include wider door openings which help with boarding efficiency and accessibility. The feature 100% low-floor boarding, which Pea says will eliminate the need for stairs in train cars. It has a better viewing capacity for train drivers as well as a closed operators cab at each end.

Stations will not have to be upgraded to run a single Type 10 car, Pea said, but the viaduct between Science Park and Lechmere Stations was rehabbed and reinforced to handle the weight of the supercars.

The CFA USA contract also provides the MBTA the option to procure more vehicles, which will mean that one day, depending on ridership, we can be running two Type 10s, Pea said.

Im bringing that to your attention because do we need the upgrades on the stations to run a single Type 10s when they come sometime in 2027? No, he said. But our intent is that as we progress in the future and we want to run two Type 10s, were working on the design and conceptuals where the stations got to be expanded to make that work.

MBTA officials also say replacing older Type 7 and Type 8 cars with Type 10 cars will provide a unified fleet, where maintenance crews will have to deal with just one type of vehicle as opposed to dealing with three different types of cars.

CAF USA manufactures car shells and assembles vehicles in Elmira, New York, according to the MBTA, while truck frames are manufactured in Spain before they are shipped to New York for assembly.

The contract, according to slides presented to the MBTA Board of Directors, says the MBTA will receive 102 new vehicles, two operator training simulators, spare parts, manuals, test equipment, special tools, training, training aids, and a three-year full vehicle warranty services.

The company also built and delivered the 24 new Type 9 cars that are now running on the MBTAs Green Line.

And what about those relatively new Type 9 cars that first went into service in December 2018? One idea floated at the MBTA sees them being retrofitted to serve the Mattapan Line.

Otherwise, when cars are officially retired from service, the MBTA must follow procurement laws and potentially offer them to a scrap dealer for the best price. One car is also typically set aside and sold for $1 to the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.

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