The MBTA Board of Directors on Oct. 22, 2026, approved the purchase of 20 new Commuter Rail locomotives from Siemens, a contract worth up to $310,359,988. The order covers 10 EPA Tier 4 diesel-electric locomotives and 10 dual-mode battery/catenary locomotives, plus spare parts, a training simulator and special tools. Diesel deliveries are scheduled from mid-2029 into 2030, and the battery units in 2030 and 2031, according to the MBTA’s board presentation and reporting from the meeting.
The purchase sits inside a larger project budget of $373,769,818. It is the first step in replacing the oldest locomotives that pull Commuter Rail trains into South Station and North Station. The contract also includes options for up to 50 more locomotives, which the MBTA says depend on future funding.
The deal at a glance
- Buyer and seller: the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, under Formal Contract 187F-25 with Siemens.
- Contract amount: not to exceed $310,359,988 for the locomotives, capital spares, simulator and tools.
- What’s included: 10 Tier 4 diesel-electric locomotives and 10 dual-mode battery/catenary locomotives.
- Options: up to 50 more locomotives “pending funding availability,” per the MBTA presentation.
- Approved: Oct. 22, 2026, after a committee review on Oct. 15.
- Deliveries: diesels from mid-2029 through mid-2030, and battery/catenary units in 2030-2031, according to MBTA vehicle engineering director William Wolfgang as reported by Worcester Business Journal and Trains.
Why the MBTA says it needs new locomotives now
The board presentation states that the MBTA “has identified an immediate need for new locomotives.” It lists the condition of the current diesel fleet:
- GP40 locomotives were built more than 50 years ago and remanufactured 28 to 29 years ago. The MBTA says 13 of them have exceeded their useful life.
- F40 locomotives were built 33 to 39 years ago and had a mid-life overhaul more than 20 years ago. Their useful life ends between 2029 and 2035.
- HSP46 locomotives, the newest in the fleet, were built 14 years ago and are entering a mid-life overhaul. Up to 10 of them could be out of service from 2029 into 2031 or later.
The MBTA says the new order will let it retire “the least reliable F40 and GP40 locomotives.”
What the MBTA is buying: Tier 4 diesels and battery locomotives
Siemens builds a locomotive family it calls the Charger. Trains magazine reported that the MBTA is buying 10 Charger diesels and 10 battery-catenary hybrids, and that Wolfgang described the design as “service-proven.” The MBTA presentation says more than 440 have been produced or ordered.
The diesel units are built to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 4 locomotive emissions standards. The MBTA presentation says the new fleet will cut local emissions by more than 75% compared with the current fleet. Worcester Business Journal reported that Wolfgang told the board the diesels would cut emissions by about 80% and run more quietly.
The battery/catenary locomotives can draw power from overhead wires and from onboard batteries, and they produce no local emissions, according to the MBTA. The presentation says they will allow “operation under segmented catenary,” meaning stretches of track where overhead wire exists only in some places. Worcester Business Journal reported that these units are first planned for the Providence Line, which already has overhead power because of Amtrak service.
How the purchase is paid for
The MBTA says the $373.8 million project will be paid for with a mix of federal and state money. That includes $200 million the MassDOT Board of Directors approved on Sept. 23, 2026. The budget lists:
- Material procurement, including capital spares: $310,359,988
- Professional services: $20,559,000
- Force account: $5,257,230
- Project administration: $6,167,700
- Indirect costs: $7,636,200
- Contingency: $23,789,700. The MBTA says this covers expected change orders for “platform integration modifications.”
What it means for Commuter Rail riders
Riders won’t see the new locomotives for several years. The MBTA timeline shows design review and production first, with pilot units expected less than three years after notice to proceed. Until then the existing fleet stays in service. For current fares, passes and schedules, see our Boston transportation and MBTA guide.
The new locomotives also come with technical work still ahead. Trains reported that Wolfgang said using existing cab cars to control the battery-electric units will need work with railroad operations, engineering and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, and that this is expected to become a change order during design review.
The same board meeting also approved hybrid buses and discussed Red Line speeds. We covered that in MBTA Board Approves $310M for Locomotives and 65 Hybrid Buses.
Reactions
Trains reported that the board vote was unanimous. During public comment, Mela Bush of the Action for Equity coalition asked why the MBTA would buy diesel locomotives rather than lease them “when the future is the electrification of the transportation and the rail system,” according to Trains. The advocacy group TransitMatters had said earlier in 2026 that the acquisition “makes costly decisions that prioritize legacy constraints over the established 2019 Rail Vision,” as reported by State House News Service and cited by Trains. Worcester Business Journal described the procurement process as contentious.
Sources
- MBTA: Locomotive Procurement, presentation to the Board of Directors, Oct. 22, 2026 (PDF)
- U.S. EPA: Regulations for emissions from locomotives
- Worcester Business Journal: MBTA approves new locomotives for commuter rail (Oct. 22, 2026)
- Trains (via Yahoo News): MBTA board approves purchase of new Siemens locomotives (Oct. 23, 2026)
Additional sources
- MBTA: Locomotive procurement presentation to the board committee, Oct. 15, 2026 (PDF)
- The Boston Globe: The T’s buying hybrid buses (Oct. 22, 2026)
Featured image: Two MBTA F40PH-2C locomotives at South Station. Photo: 4300streetcar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Cropped.
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