Local
MBTA now expects full Red Line train-car replacement to extend into 2031
The MBTA’s latest capital plan pushes completion of its 252-car Red Line replacement program into fiscal 2032, meaning the final cars may not arrive until 2031. As of July 2026, the agency had accepted just 68 new cars, while aging trains remain in service.
The MBTA does not expect to finish replacing the Red Line’s train fleet until at least 2031, according to its fiscal 2026 capital plan, which places completion in fiscal year 2032.
The revised timeline extends a project intended to replace all 252 cars in a fleet that had exceeded its planned 30-year lifespan. The MBTA awarded the contract to CRRC MA in 2014, and the new trains were originally expected to be in service by the end of the 2010s.
By July 2026, the transit agency had accepted 68 of the 252 replacement cars. A March 2024 contract reset added $148 million to the deal and set a target completion date of December 2027. The latest plan moves that expectation back several years.
The delays have been linked to COVID-era shutdowns and freight bottlenecks, higher costs tied to tariffs, production limits at CRRC’s Springfield plant, and quality problems that required repairs, including issues with wiring and doors.
The delay leaves the Red Line dependent on older trains while more new cars are built and accepted. The MBTA has kept some aging cars running with custom-made parts and components recovered from retired trains. The new cars are expected to go longer between failures than the legacy fleet, but riders will have to wait years for the full replacement to reach the line.