M2 (railcar)

M2 (railcar)

The M2 is a series of 244 electric multiple unit cars produced for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Connecticut Department of Transportation for use on the New Haven Line (then part of Penn Central, now part of Metro North). Built primarily by the Budd Company in a consortium with General Electric and Canadian Vickers between 1972 and 1977, the cars were initially branded as The Cosmopolitans. Final assembly of the M2 cars using Budd bodies was completed at GE's Transportation Division in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Both the model and brand name followed the pattern set up by the M1/M1A series (The Metropolitans) in use on the Long Island Rail Road (M1) and on the Metro-North Hudson and Harlem lines (M1A), sisters to the Metro-North New Haven Line. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the M2 design was licensed by the MTA and ConnDOT to two other companies to produce followup series.

All cars are equipped with GE 1259 DC motors with a rated output of 162 horsepower (121 kW) on all axles.