New MBTA locomotives: Is the order on track?

Rendering of MPI HSP-46
Courtesy: MBTA

In July of 2010 the MBTA board of directors approved the purchase of 20 new locomotives. The $115 million order was placed with Idaho based Motive Power Inc. (MPI) . Under the contract, MPI was tasked with designing a unique locomotive specifically for the T,  while also meeting the EPA's tier-3 emissions guidelines. Their result was the HSP-46 locomotive.


Over the past three years the T's order with MPI has been changed quite a bit. In July 2011 a new paint scheme was voted on by the public, the MBTA then added 7 more locomotives to the order in July 2012, and most recently this past April, thirteen more units were added. These changes bring the total order up to 40 locomotives.

Back in 2010, when the contract was granted to MPI , they were given two and a half years to produce a prototype unit and have it sent here to Boston for testing. That date was later pushed back to June of this year.

Well it's June, and the MBTA has yet to sent out any updates on the status of the order.

The T has not released any official statements saying the order is delayed, but sometimes delays do happen with orders like this. Look what happened with the Rotem bi-level order.

F-40 #1004 built in 1978

These new locomotives are vital if the T wants to maintain reliable transportation for Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Currently the MBTA's oldest in-service locomotives date back to 1978. They are loud, unreliable, and highly inefficient. When the 40 new HSP-46 locomotives replace the oldest units in the MBTA's fleet they will be reducing diesel fuel consumption by over 1,700,000 gallons per year, according to GE.

I guess we shall see what the month of June brings. Hopefully we find out that the order is on track and we will see a prototype here in Boston within the next few months.