The HR5000 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 number o ...

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...

car ordered from

Hyundai Rotem Hyundai Rotem Company, often referred to as Hyundai Rotem (), is a South Korean manufacturer of railway rolling stock, railway signalling, defense products and plant equipment. It is a member of Hyundai Motor Group and has presence in more than ...

for the

Los Angeles Metro Rail The Los Angeles Metro Rail is an urban rail transit system serving Los Angeles County, California, United States, consisting of six lines: four light rail lines (the A, C, E and K lines) and two rapid transit lines (the B and D lines), ...

's B and D lines. Following a decision by the

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), branded as Metro, is the county agency that plans, operates, and coordinates funding for most of the Transportation in Los Angeles, public transportation system in Los Ang ...

(Metro) not to purchase additional

CRRC HR4000 The HR4000 is an electric multiple unit rapid transit car being manufactured by CRRC and assembled in Springfield, Massachusetts for the Los Angeles Metro Rail's B and D lines. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Me ...

trains, bids were sought for new subway trains. In January 2024, 182 cars were ordered from

, with options for 50 more cars. These will enter service prior to the 2028

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

and

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disability, disabilities. There are Winter Paralympic Games, Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 ...

, with all trains in service by 2030.

History

, the Metro Rail subway fleet is at least 32 years old, with the

Breda A650 The A650 is an electric multiple unit rapid transit (known locally as a subway) car built for use on the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The cars were manufactured by the Italian company Breda at its Pistoia plant in Italy between 1988 and 1997 an ...

trains built in two batches between 1988 and 1997 and newer

trains which entered service in late 2024. New trains will allow for future replacement of all Breda A650 trains, expanded train service including a four-minute train frequency, and extensions of the D Line over three phases. In 2017, Metro awarded a contract to

CRRC CRRC Corporation Limited (known as CRRC) is a Chinese state-owned and publicly traded rolling stock manufacturer. It is the world's largest rolling stock manufacturer in terms of revenue, eclipsing its major competitors of Alstom and Siemens. ...

for 64 trains, with contract options for 218 cars. These HR4000 trains were planned to enter service in 2020, but introduction to service was delayed until late 2024. Construction delays for trains were caused by supply chain issues as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, as well as compliance with the

Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act () is a United States federal law that changed U.S. policy on China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR, or Xinjiang) with the goal of ensuring that American entities are not funding forced labor amon ...

. Following these construction delays, and the passing of the Transit Infrastructure Vehicle Security Act by Congress in 2019 which prevents the use of further federal funding for CRRC, Metro decided not to exercise the options in the CRRC HR4000 contract in 2022. In December 2022, Metro began procuring new subway trains with a request for proposals. Three bidders took part,

Hitachi Rail Hitachi, Ltd. Railway Systems Business Unit, Trade name, trading as Hitachi Rail, is the rolling stock and railway signalling manufacturing division of Hitachi outside Japan. History Hitachi's rail division before global expansion After the ...

and

Stadler Rail Stadler Rail AG is a Swiss manufacturer of railway rolling stock, with an original emphasis on regional train multiple units and trams, but moving also into Rapid transit, mass rapid transit, High-speed rail, high speed, Inter-city rail, interci ...

. All three manufacturers have production facilities in the United States. In February 2024, a $663.7 million contract for 182 cars was awarded to Hyundai Rotem, with options for 50 more cars. Although Hyundai Rotem's bid was more expensive than Stadler, Metro indicated that the contract was not solely awarded on price. Cars will be delivered in two-car trains, with a capacity of 245 passengers. Trains will be capable of running in multiple, up to three trains at a time. Trains will enter service prior to the 2028

and

, with all trains in service by 2030.

References

Los Angeles Metro Rail Electric multiple units of the United States 750 V DC multiple units Hyundai Rotem multiple units {{US-train-stub

History

See also

References