The M7 is an

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...

railroad car built by Bombardier, with delivery beginning in 2002, used by the MTA on the Long Island Rail Road (M7) and

Metro-North Railroad Metro-North Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, is a suburban commuter rail service run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a New York State public benefit corporations, public authority of the U.S. state of New Yor ...

(M7A). The M7 replaced the M1 railcars, which had previously provided electric service on these lines. The M7 fleets are powered from an electric

third rail A third rail, also known as a live rail, electric rail or conductor rail, is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway ...

. A total of 1,172 M7 cars were built for the two railroads.

Description

Cars are arranged as

married pair A twin unit or twinset is a set of two railroad cars or locomotives which are permanently coupled and treated as if they were a single unit. A twinset of cars or coaches can also be called a twin car. In US passenger railroad parlance, twin u ...

s, where each car contains a complete set of controls for an

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, conductor, or

brakeman A brakeman is a rail transport worker whose original job was to assist the braking of a train by applying brakes on individual wagons. The earliest known use of the term to describe this occupation occurred in 1833. The advent of through brakes, ...

. However, the 'B' Cars (denoted by odd-numbered car designations) contain a

handicapped accessible Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e ...

restroom, which is larger than the restroom provided on the M1 and M3 railcars and designed to accommodate a wheelchair, as well as an attendant and/or service animal (such as a

guide dog Guide dogs (colloquially known in the US as seeing-eye dogs) are assistance dogs trained to lead blind or visually impaired people around obstacles. Although dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are red–green colour blin ...

hearing dog A hearing dog is a type of assistance dog specifically selected and trained to assist people who are deaf or hard of hearing by alerting their handler to important sounds, such as doorbells, smoke alarms, ringing telephones, or alarm clocks. They ...

service dog In general, an assistance dog, known as a service dog in the United States, is a dog trained to aid or assist an individual with a disability. Many are trained by an assistance dog organization, or by their handler, often with the help of a prof ...

) accompanying the passenger. The enlarged bathroom reduces the number of seats in the car. The M7 was built as two separate but similar models due to the different electrical and signaling systems on the LIRR and Metro-North. Their most notable differences are the color schemes on the cab end of each car. Metro-North M7As have blue fronts with white stripes, while LIRR's M7s have black and yellow fronts. In addition, the Metro-North uses under-running third rails (with the train's third-rail shoes collecting electricity from the bottom of the third rail) inherited from the former New York Central Railroad, and the LIRR uses over-running third rails. Metro-North's M7As are not equipped with illuminated number boards, while LIRR's M7s are. The Metro-North M7s were also used In the 2016 film '' The Girl on the Train''. On April 19, 2021, the LIRR proposed equipping two pairs of M7 railcars with batteries for travel in diesel territory, pending feasibility studies.

History

In late 1999, a contract was awarded to Bombardier for 836 LIRR M7s. Delivery began in early 2002, and test trains for the LIRR M7 began on the Ronkonkoma Branch. After several successful tests, LIRR M7 revenue service began on the Long Beach Branch on October 30, 2002, and Metro-North's first M7A started scheduled service in April 2004. All M7s were delivered by early 2007.

Accidents and incidents

*On February 3, 2015, an M7A train on Metro-North's

Harlem Line The Metro-North Railroad Harlem Line, originally chartered as the New York and Harlem Railroad, is an commuter rail line running north from New York City to Wassaic, in eastern Dutchess County. The lower from Grand Central Terminal to Sou ...

was involved in a level crossing collision with a car stopped on the tracks in

Valhalla, New York Valhalla is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the New York City metropolitan area. Its population was 3,162 at the 2010 U.S. Census. The name was in ...

. Six people were killed and at least fifteen were injured. Car #4333 was destroyed in the subsequent fire. *On October 8, 2016, an M7 train on Long Island Rail Road's

Port Jefferson Branch The Port Jefferson Branch is a rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The branch splits from the Main Line (Long Island Rail Road), Main Line just east of Hicksville ...

side swiped a work train near the New Hyde Park station, multiple cars were damaged, the most damaged car was 7044, which half of the metal was torn off, the unit was scrapped and its mate, 7043 was in storage until 2017, when it was mated with 7554, as it lost its mate, 7553 (see below) *On January 4, 2017, an M7 train on Long Island Rail Road's

Atlantic Branch The Atlantic Branch is an electrified rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It is the only LIRR line with revenue passenger service in the borough of Brooklyn. The line consists of two sectio ...

overshot a bumper at

Atlantic Terminal Atlantic Terminal (formerly Flatbush Avenue) is the westernmost stop on the Long Island Rail Road's (LIRR) Atlantic Branch, located at Flatbush Avenue and Atlantic Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn, New York City. It is the primary terminal for th ...

's track 6. Although no one was killed, over 100 were injured. Car #7553 was seriously damaged in the collision, after a broken rail pierced the underbody, creating a large hole. The unit was repaired at the Arch Street Shops, and it may be used for the battery unit test train. *On February 26, 2019, an M7 on the Long Island Rail Road's Ronkonkoma Branch struck a truck, causing the lead car to derail and strike the Westbury station platform. Car #7425 was severely damaged as a result. Three people in the truck were killed, while there were no fatalities on the train. The individuals were fleeing the scene of a motor vehicle accident and went around lowered railroad crossing gates.

Early troubleshooting

The M7 cars swayed from side to side more than intended when introduced to service, and required modifications 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 tearing 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 about the M7, which influenced the development of the M8 railcars for the

New Haven Line The Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line is a commuter rail line running from New Haven, Connecticut to New York City. It joins the Harlem Line at Mount Vernon, New York and continues south to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. The New Haven ...

. In the fall of 2006, the M7As started to experience serious braking problems due to foliage on the right-of-way, a condition known as " Slip-Slide." This caused nearly 2/3 of the Metro-North fleet to be taken out of service, due to flat spots on 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 resume full operation. , the fleet has the highest

mean distance between failures Failure rate is the frequency with which an engineered system or component fails, expressed in failures per unit of time. It is usually denoted by the Greek letter λ (lambda) and is often used in reliability engineering. The failure rate of a ...

out of the entire LIRR fleet. This partly had to do with the fleet's newness, and so the fleet often needed to be tested for reliability.Outside Contractor's report
, October 2007.

Gallery

File:Metro North.Bronxville.jpg, A Metro-North M7A entering Bronxville station File:LIRR M7 7508 Far Rockaway.jpg, An LIRR M7 at Far Rockaway station File:M7A Interior.jpg, The interior of an M7A 'A' car File:LIRR M7 Seat.jpg, Seats in LIRR M7 cars

References

External links

MTA Long Island Rail Road official websiteMTA Metro-North Railroad official websiteBombardier information page for M7
{{LIRR and MNCR rolling stock M7 M7 Bombardier Transportation multiple units Rail passenger cars of the United States Electric multiple units of the United States 750 V DC multiple units