T plans to boost commuter rail fleet

MBTA officials said yesterday they plan to buy 38 commuter rail locomotives and 75 double-decker coaches in a major step to improve reliability and cut overcrowding on the aging system.

The locomotives would help keep trains running on time, and the new coaches would address common passenger complaints about overcrowding and failing air-conditioning and heating units.

Commuter rail service sustained crippling slowdowns and cancellations last summer, largely because of the ailing rail fleet, which is between seven and 29 years old. At times, there were not enough locomotives and coaches to maintain the daily schedule.

The T has budgeted $310 million for the purchase -- $190 million for the coaches and $120 million for the locomotives. T officials expect a portion will be funded by federal grants. The bid for locomotives and coaches could be awarded in the fall, with delivery over a period of three to five years, officials said.

"It's good news for commuters," said James F. O'Leary , head of the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad, the private consortium that contracts with the T to operate and maintain commuter rail.

O'Leary took over in August as head of the rail consortium after Paul Lundberg resigned under heavy criticism about late trains and chronic poor service, which worsened after the Big Dig tunnel closings sent more commuters to trains.

According to figures released yesterday by the American Public Transportation Association, commuter rail ridership on the T was up 3.4 percent in the first nine months of last year over the same period in 2005.

The consortium is working under a five-year, $1.07 billion contract, signed in 2003, to run the nation's fifth-largest commuter-rail network, with 40 million passengers a year in nearly 80 municipalities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The fleet has 410 coaches, including 140 bilevel and 270 single-level coaches, and 80 locomotives. Commuter rail service, which carries about 74,000 passengers on an average weekday, needs 333 coaches and 56 locomotives to stay on schedule. On Wednesday, the consortium had 344 coaches available and 59 locomotives.

Daniel A. Grabauskas , general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, said the T plans to seek bids worldwide to make the purchase more competitive and to find technologically advanced equipment.

"We need to take advantage of new technology," he said in a statement yesterday. "A fuel-efficient, dependable, and environmentally friendly commuter rail vehicle is what our customers deserve and why we are encouraging manufacturers to competitively bid this work."

The T and the consortium will face additional pressures this summer when the Greenbush commuter rail line on the South Shore is scheduled to start service. The number of coaches required for rush-hour service will jump from 333 to 357, and the number of locomotives from 56 to 60. Without major improvements in maintenance, T and consortium officials fear that service and other commuter rail will suffer.

Some of the older coaches and locomotives in the fleet could be retired after the proposed purchase, Grabauskas said.

O'Leary credited consortium maintenance staff yesterday with keeping the current fleet in running condition and limiting any lapses in service.

Joe Fischer , 37, of Sharon, a tax accountant who rides the South Station-to-Providence line, said service has been decent of late.

"Generally the ride has physically gotten me there, the heating and air-conditioning has generally worked and the windows remain cloudy," he said. "The rush hour in Providence, most of the time, gets the bilevel coaches. But in the instances where they either have a short set or run a single level, it is very crowded."

Mac Daniel can be reached at mdaniel@globe.com.