Battery-powered trains coming to Chicago: a first look

Chicago's commuter rail system, Metra, and train maker Stadler showed off a new battery-electric train at a transit industry conference in Chicago. Metra has ordered eight of these train sets, each made up of four cars that seat about 200 people, and expects them in passenger service by 2028.

The trains run on batteries instead of diesel, which means less exhaust and less noise. Because they don't need overhead power lines, Metra can run them without adding new infrastructure along the tracks. The batteries have a range of about 50 miles, enough for the train to make three trips between LaSalle Street and Blue Island stations on the Beverly Branch of the Rock Island Line, a 16.4-mile route. The trains recharge at the terminal stations and can reach speeds up to 90 mph, though they'll run at 79 mph in service.

Metra joins a handful of other commuter rail systems moving away from diesel. Caltrain in the San Francisco area has electrified part of its route and plans to add battery trains for the unwired stretches. Boston's transit system is swapping diesel trains for battery power on a line serving an environmental justice community, and New York's Metro-North ordered battery-electric locomotives as well. This is a transit and infrastructure story rather than one that affects home energy decisions directly, but it reflects the same shift toward electrification showing up in heating, water heating, and other home systems.