MBTA bilevel cars

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority owns and operates an exclusive fleet of bilevel cars on its Commuter Rail system. First taking delivery of 73 cars (23 of which were control cab cars) from Kawasaki from 1990-91 to increase capacity on its trains, until 2005, it had taken delivery of numerous more cars of similar specifications from Kawasaki. Starting in 2014, the MBTA began to receive new bilevel cars from Hyundai Rotem. It is currently taking delivery of more cars from Hyundai Rotem in order to completely replace its aging fleet of single-level cars.

MBTA Bilevel Cars
A brand new CTC-5 bilevel cab car sitting in Rochester, MA in 2022
The interior of a BTC-4D car, with all 3 decks visible
Manufacturer	Kawasaki Hyundai Rotem
Constructed	1990–2006 (Kawasaki cars) 2012–2027 (Hyundai-Rotem cars)
Entered service	1990
Refurbished	2014–2021 (Kawasaki cars)
Number in service	297 (41 currently on order)
Capacity	173–185
Owners	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Operators	Keolis Commuter Services
Specifications
Car body construction	Stainless steel
Car length	85 feet (26 m)
Width	10 feet (3.0 m)
Height	15 feet 6 inches (4.72 m)
Maximum speed	90 miles per hour (140 km/h)
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

History

In the early 1990s, the MBTA Commuter Rail was nearing vital service expansions across its system, with expansion of the Framingham Line to Worcester and the reopening of the Old Colony Lines being expected soon. Until the early 1990s, MBTA passenger equipment consisted solely of standard capacity single level cars, which were mostly cars of the BTC-1 series, a variant of the well-known 'Comet' series cars. The BTC-1A, BTC-1B and CTC-1B cars were relatively new at the time, being made by Bombardier in the late 1980s, and hosting a seating capacity of 122–127. The older variants of these cars, the BTC-1C fleet, were originally built as BTC-1 cars and CTC-1 control cab cars in the late 1970s by Pullman-Standard, and were rebuilt by Amerail into their current specs in 1996, these cars have a total seating capacity of 114.

The MBTA also had a unique fleet of coaches manufactured by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB), which were designated as BTC-3 and CTC-3 cars, these had considerably less seating capacity than the BTC-1 cars, ranging from 88 to 94, but were equipped with restrooms, and would be the only cars on the fleet to host this accommodation until 2005.

The MBTA's first delivery for new bilevel passenger equipment from Kawasaki consisted of 50 regular coaches (BTC-4), and 23 control cab cars (CTC-4). This order was later supplemented by 17 BTC-4A cars in 1997–98, and 15 BTC-4B cars in 2001–02. In 2005–06, with the opening of the Greenbush Line nearing, the MBTA took delivery of 33 BTC-4C coaches, these cars differed from all previously ordered bilevel cars in that they were equipped with restrooms. The BTC-4C cars would also be their final order from Kawasaki. The Kawasaki cars are also referred to as the "K-cars", for short.

In 2008, the South Korean rolling stock company Hyundai Rotem won a $170 million contract to construct the MBTA's latest order for more bilevel cars. The new order consisted of 47 BTC-4D cars, and 28 CTC-5 control cars, which were the first bilevel control cab cars to be put into service since the original CTC-4s in 1990. These cars first began to arrive in 2012, and featured various technological improvements over the older cars, such as interior and exterior LED displays, and automatic door control, which eliminated the need for a conductor to be present at every opening door.

In 2012, the MBTA reached an agreement for Alstom to overhaul 74 bilevel cars of the entire BTC-4 and CTC-4 fleets in Hornell, NY, with the only exclusion being CTC-4 #1710, which sustained severe damage in a 2006 accident. The contract also provided an option to overhaul the entirety of the BTC-4A and BTC-4B fleets, as well as the previously excluded CTC-4 #1710. The rebuilding of the BTC-4 and CTC-4 fleets took place from 2014 to 2019, with the rebuilding of the BTC-4A and BTC-4B fleets subsequently starting in 2019, and eventually being completed in 2021. Despite the MBTA choosing to go ahead with the extra option in the contract, CTC-4 #1710 was never rebuilt, and was scrapped in 2014. The upgrades to the rebuilt K-cars included interior and exterior LED displays, automatic door control, new trucks and couplers, and other modifications that made them nearly indistinguishable from the Hyundai Rotem cars. The only noticeable external difference between the Rotems and the rebuilt K-cars is the lower positioning of the external LED display board on the K-cars, being within the purple trim, whereas on the Rotem cars, they are positioned higher, above the purple trim. The BTC-4C cars remain as the only bilevel cars on the fleet without modern amenities such as LED displays or automatic door control; these cars have suffered from various issues due to their age, such as flat spots and permanently scratched windows, and they are the only K-cars that have not yet been rebuilt. Because of this, they are mainly seen on the north side of the system, where older equipment is usually more active. As of 2024, no plans to overhaul the 33 BTC-4C cars have been announced.

In 2019, the MBTA indicated plans to fully replace its fleet of 260 single-level cars, which would require a total of 181 bilevel cars to maintain the system's total seating capacity. The MBB cars in particular were outlined as needing replacement as soon as possible. A total of 80 bilevel cars were ordered by the MBTA to provide immediate relief for the retirement of the MBB cars and for the completion of the South Coast Rail project to extend service to Fall River and New Bedford, which alone required 16 new bilevel cars, the first of these cars arrived on MBTA property in late 2022. This order was later increased to 83 cars. Eventually, the MBTA plans to order over 200 additional bilevel cars to completely replace the rest of the single-level fleet, and to support projected ridership increases in the coming years.

Blind Trailer Coaches

Specification	Builder	Year built	Car numbers	Number active	Seats	Notes	Image
BTC-4	Kawasaki	1990–91	700–749	50	185	Overhauled by Alstom 2014–19
BTC-4A	Kawasaki	1997–98	750–766	17	182	Overhauled by Alstom 2019–21
BTC-4B	Kawasaki	2001–02	767–781	15	182	Overhauled by Alstom 2019–21
BTC-4C	Kawasaki	2005–06	900–932	33	178	Restroom-equipped
BTC-4D	Hyundai Rotem	2012–14	800–846	47	179	Restroom-equipped
BTC-4D	Hyundai Rotem	2022–24	847–886	40	179	Restroom-equipped
BTC-4D	Hyundai Rotem	2026–27	TBD	0	179	Restroom-equipped 41 on order Deliveries due to begin 2026

Control Trailer Coaches

Specification	Builder	Year built	Car numbers	Number active	Seats	Notes	Image
CTC-4	Kawasaki	1990–91	1700–1724	23	175	Overhauled by Alstom 2014–19
CTC-5	Hyundai Rotem	2012–14	1800–1827	28	173
CTC-5	Hyundai Rotem	2022–24	1828–1870	43	173