M-7 (railcar)

The M-7 is an electric multiple unit railroad car built by Bombardier, with delivery beginning in 2002. The cars were ordered by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York) for the Long Island Rail Road (M7) and Metro-North Railroad (M7A). They replaced the M1 railcars, which had previously provided electric service on these lines. They run on third rail power. There are two different versions, owing to the different electrical and signaling systems on the LIRR and Metro-North. The cars are in married pairs. The M7s are powered by AC traction motors and accelerate more quickly from a standing stop than previous MU sets. The two different cars also contain different door-closing lights, the LIRR(Long Island Rail Road) has small red button-sized closing-lights, while Metro-North has white strip-long lights. The B Cars contain a handicapped accessible restroom, which is larger than the restroom provided on the M1 and M3 railcars and designed to accept a wheelchair, as well as an attendant and/or service animal (such as a guide dog, hearing dog or service dog) accompanying the passenger. The enlarged bathroom reduced the number of seats in the car. B cars are assigned odd-number designations. Each car contains a complete set of controls for an engineer, conductor, or brakeman.

Early trouble-shooting

The M7 cars swayed more than intended from side to side when introduced to service, and required modification to reduce the sway. In late 2006 the MTA began a replacement of all M7 armrests after paying out over $100,000 to customers who filed complaints. The factory installed armrests were notorious for slipping into trouser pockets and then destroying them when sitting. The new design is of a different profile and is coated in a more fabric-friendly rubber. Some passengers complained about having fewer seats per B car, a consequence of the larger ADA-compliant restrooms, and about the width of the seats. Metro-North's management received feedback, which will influence the development of the M8 railcars - which will be built by Kawasaki Rail Car and used on the New Haven Line.

LIRR M-7 service began October 30, 2002 and Metro-North's first M-7 started scheduled service in April 2004. A new eight-car set of M7s costs $18 million.

In the fall of 2006, the M7s started to experience serious braking problems due to foliage on the right of way, causing nearly 2/3 of the fleet to be removed from service on Metro-North, due to extremely flat wheels. While the LIRR fleet performed significantly better, stripped M1s from both railroads were reactivated, and diminished schedules were instituted until the M7 fleet was able to operate.

Today, the fleet has the highest MTBF out of the entire LIRR fleet. [http://mta.info/lirr/pubs/Assessment09-27-07.pdf Outside Contractor's report] , October 2207.]

Technical Data

*M-7 Electric Multiple Unit – New York, USA
*Builder: Bombardier Transportation
*Operators: Long Island Rail Road (836 cars) and Metro-North Railroad (336 cars)
*Length 25,908 mm - 85' 0"
*Width 3,200 mm - 10' 6" [ [http://www.bombardier.com/index.jsp?id=1_0&lang=en&file=/en/1_0/1_0.jsp M7 Technical Data from Bombardier Website] ]
*Mitsubishi Electric AC Traction Motors and IGBT inverters [ [http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/about/download/Connections%20Summer%202006.pdf Mitsubishi Electric 'Connect' Newsletter, Summer 2006] ]
*Max. Speed 160 km/h - 100 mph
*Seated Passengers: 110 (A car); 101 (B car)

ee also

*M1/M3 (railcar)
*M-9 (railcar)
*Long Island Rail Road
*Metro North Railroad

References

External links

* [http://www.mta.info/lirr/ MTA Long Island Railroad official website]
* [http://www.mta.info/mnr/ MTA Metro North Railroad official website]
* [http://www.bombardier.com/index.jsp?id=1_0&lang=en&file=/en/1_0/1_1/1_1_3_1_4_1.jsp Bombardier information page for M7]