SEPTA's plans to add 45 multi-level trains to its Regional Rail fleet appear to be moving along efficiently.
The $137.5 million deal with Chinese-owned CCRC MA Corporation, based in Massachusetts, will bring the first of the bi-level trains to SEPTA Regional Rail tracks in late 2019. All 45 trains would be delivered and ready for service the following year.
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CCRC has released a photograph of a bodyshell undergoing tests at its plant in China's Hebei Province.
The stainless steel bodyshells were being put through static strength testing to ensure that they meet U.S. standards, according to the International Railway Journal.
SEPTA's deal with CCRC would mark the first time the company manufactured main line passenger coaches for a U.S. customer.
The new trains are expected to be used on SEPTA's busiest Regional Rail lines, though specific routes have not yet been announced.