The Mafersa coaches are a class of 38

passenger railroad cars A passenger (also abbreviated as pax) is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The ...

built by Brazilian manufacturer

Mafersa Mafersa S.A. is a Brazilian manufacturer of passenger rail cars, buses and trolleybuses, and related components. It was founded in 1944 and was located in the city of São Paulo.Bushell, Chris (Ed.) (1997). ''Jane's Urban Transport Systems 199 ...

. Originally built for Virginia Railway Express, they are currently operated by

Connecticut Department of Transportation The Connecticut Department of Transportation (often referred to as CTDOT and occasionally ConnDOT, or CDOT) is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports and waterways in Connecticut. ...

and

QIT-Fer et Titane QIT-Fer et Titane (QIT from its old name "Quebec Iron and Titanium") is a Canadian mining company located in Quebec. The company operates an ilmenite (titanium oxide ore) mine at Lake Tio in northern Quebec, and in southern Quebec operates refining ...

History

built the coaches new for the Virginia Railway Express at $24.7 million. VRE sold 33 of the coaches to the

in 2004 for its

Shore Line East Shore Line East (SLE) is a commuter rail service which operates along the Northeast Corridor through southern Connecticut, United States. The rail service is a fully owned subsidiary of the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) and i ...

service.

, a

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

mining company, purchased the remaining five cars in 2008.

Routes served

In Connecticut, Mafersa coaches are used by

CTrail CT Rail, stylized as CT''rail'', is the brand for commuter rail services overseen by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), in the U.S. state of Connecticut, with some service extending into Massachusetts. CTDOT oversees two lines: ...

on their

Hartford Line The Hartford Line is a commuter rail service between New Haven, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts, using the Amtrak-owned New Haven–Springfield Line. The project is a joint venture between the states of Connecticut and Massachuset ...

service. They are operated from

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

, to Springfield, Massachusetts. 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 in

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 ...

territory as found south and west of Pelham. Hence,

ConnDOT The Connecticut Department of Transportation (often referred to as CTDOT and occasionally ConnDOT, or CDOT) is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports and waterways in Connecticut.

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. These cars were originally used in

service, but when Kawasaki M8s took over service on the line, they were moved to the

References

External links

* Passenger rail transportation in Virginia Metro-North Railroad {{CTrail navbox