Train Delay: Orange And Red Line Fleets Pushed Back Year-Plus

Please stand by. Those brand new Orange and Red Line trains are going to be late.

The MBTA said Monday it'll be at least an additional year before the long-awaited fleets get into service. For the Orange Line trains, that means at least April 2023, and for the Red Line trains, at least September 2024.

"From the MBTA standpoint, we are obviously not happy about the schedule," MBTA Deputy General Manager Jeff Gonneville told the Fiscal and Management Control Board. "We are not happy about the delays and the impact it has to our customers, but also the impact it has to our employees. We will have to maintain our fleet for longer than we were anticipating having to do as a result of this."

There were production issues at a Springfield facility that started before the coronavirus. The pandemic — and its accompanying shutdowns — only made things worse.

"At the heart of the issue has been production output from CRRC Springfield facility," Gonneville said. "The most recent delays from the pandemic have only compounded some earlier issues CRRC was experiencing in pre-pandemic times."

The new Orange Line cars first hit the tracks last summer. More have since arrived, with more due in the next 15 months.

A full set of new Red and Orange Line cars will increase capacity and service, the MBTA has said.

Last week the transit agency announced the Green Line Extension is on track to be finished by the end of 2021.