Retirement and Replacement
At the start of the 21st Century, the original Cosmopolitans began to reach the end of their expected service lives, as they have traveled over 1 million miles in all types of harsh weather. It was then that the cars saw some of their most intense service as the combination of increased ridership and conflicts on funding between ConnDOT and former Governor John G. Rowland delayed ConnDOT's ability to fund replacement cars.
With the replacement of Rowland by Governor M. Jodi Rell in 2004, the process for a replacement series was expedited. After an earlier deal in principle with Bombardier Transportation fell through, Kawasaki Heavy Industries was awarded a contract in July 2006 to produce the M8 series, expected to enter service in mid 2010. The 405 cars will be based on the M7/M7A series much as the M2s were based on the M1 series, though with some interior improvements and a different front end. An additional 25 cars are still on option. The M8 series will fully replace the M2/M4/M6 series by 2015.
Read more about this topic: M2 (railcar)
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