Metrolink Sustainable Locomotives Project

The Metrolink Sustainable Locomotives Project, managed by the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, involves the procurement of up to 12 of the cleanest available Tier 4 locomotives. These new units will replace up to 12 older Tier 2 locomotives currently in the Metrolink fleet to reduce pollution across the six county service area in Southern California, including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties. The project is designed to benefit approximately 3.6 million annual rail passengers and surrounding communities, including disadvantaged areas, by utilizing existing railroad rights-of-way. A key requirement of the procurement is that the new Tier 4 locomotives must not preclude a future midlife conversion to a hybrid or zero emission powertrain once such technology becomes service proven and widely available. The project has been granted a Notice of Exemption under statutory code 15275, as it replaces higher polluting equipment with cleaner alternatives. Administrative leadership for the project is provided by Justin Fornelli, Chief of Program Delivery, and Kevin Bleich, Project Engineer I.