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Of the total number of M8 cars, 278 have been accepted for service with 16 more being inspected and tested by the builder, Kawasaki Rail Car Inc.
The new M8 trains represent more than 50 percent of the train cars used for weekday service on the New Haven Line, and more than three-quarters of those cars on the weekends, according to the MTA.
As of April, the New Haven Line was operating more M8 cars than old equipment.
Metro-North ordered 380 M8 rail cars from Kawasaki Rail Car Inc. in 2006 for use on the New Haven Line. Of the 380 original order, the first 38 were built in Kobe, Japan, and the remaining 342 are being built at Kawasaki's plant in Lincoln, Neb.
Metro-North’s M8 count reached 276 railroad cars in September. Earlier this year, there were 252 railroad cars delivered as of July and 216 as of April. The tally was only 186 in January.
The MTA and Kawasaki Rail Car announced a new contract this fall for up to $1.83 billion to design and build the next generation of M9 rail cars for the Metro-North Railroad on the Hudson and Harlem lines and on the Long Island Railroad.
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