Mafersa coaches

Mafersa Coach
Mafersa Coach
	A consist of Mafersa coaches leaving Old Saybrook station in 2018
	Interior of a CDOT coach on Shore Line East service in 2018
Manufacturer	Mafersa
Constructed	1991–1992
Entered service	1992
Number built	38
Operator(s)	Shore Line East; QIT-Fer et Titane;
Line(s) served	New Haven Line from Stamford North, Shore Line East from New Haven to New London, Hartford Line from New Haven to Springfield
Specifications
Car body construction	Stainless steel
Car length	85.3 feet (26.0 m)
Width	10 feet (3.0 m)
Height	13.29 feet (4.05 m)
Floor height	51.5 inches (1,310 mm)
Doors	2 pairs end doors, manual operation
Maximum speed	90 miles per hour (140 km/h)
Power supply	480 V AC
Coupling system	AAR type H
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

Mafersa coaches are railroad cars originally built for Virginia Railway Express. They are currently operated by Connecticut Department of Transportation and QIT-Fer et Titane.

History[]

Mafersa built the coaches new for the Virginia Railway Express at $24.7 million.^[2] VRE sold 33 of the coaches to the Connecticut Department of Transportation in 2004 for its Shore Line East service.^[3] QIT-Fer et Titane, a Quebec mining company, purchased the remaining five cars in 2008.^[4]

Routes served[]

These coaches are used by CTrail on their Shore Line East and Hartford Line services. They are operated as far west at Stamford and as far East as New London.

Because of their lack of automatic doors, the ConnDOT cars 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, ConnDOT does not use them in the Metro-North Railroad equipment pool. The cab cars are numbered 1701–1719 (odd numbers only, with restrooms). The coach cars are numbered 1730-1774 (even numbers only, no restrooms). They are limited to 90 miles per hour (140 km/h) while in service on most trains.

Kawasaki M8 Railcars are intended to be introduced on Shore Line East on services from Stamford or New Haven to Old Saybrook. The Mafersa Coaches will then run exclusively on the Hartford Line, except for some which will run services to New London.

References[]

^ ^a ^b ^c The 1997 Car and Locomotive Cyclopedia. ISBN 0-911382-20-8.
^ Middleton, William D. (1994). North American commuter rail 1994. Pasadena, CA: Pentrex. p. 16. OCLC 32665882.
^ "Connecticut State Rail Plan 2012-2016" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation. 2012. pp. 37, 238. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
^ Taube, Richard K. (11 August 2008). "Chronology of the Virginia Railway Express: 1964 to Present" (PDF). Virginia Railway Express. Retrieved 16 November 2015.