South Coast AQMD Approves Funding for Cleaner Metrolink Trains

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) has approved up to $59.3 million in funding through the Carl Moyer Program for Metrolink to purchase two zero-emission rail vehicles. The board also approved up to $87.4 million from South Coast AQMD’s contingency grant award list to replace 12 earlier-generation Metrolink locomotives with lower-emission Tier 4 locomotives.

In 2017, Metrolink became the first U.S. passenger rail service to operate Tier 4 locomotives, which meet the EPA’s strictest standards and significantly reduce smog-forming emissions and particulate matter. South Coast AQMD was instrumental in bringing Tier 4 technology to Southern California, contributing $110 million in grant funds between 2013 and 2017 to help Metrolink purchase its existing fleet of 40 Tier 4 locomotives. The additional 12 Tier 4 locomotives will replace older Tier 2 models that are still in service.

“We continue to explore emerging technologies that will help us reduce our environmental footprint because it’s the right thing to do,” said Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle. “In 2012, we pushed for Tier 4 locomotives because we knew the impact that reducing our emissions would have on the communities we serve. Ten years later, we became the first passenger rail system in the nation to power our entire locomotive fleet with renewable fuel. We’re honored to once again have the support of South Coast AQMD as we pursue lower- and zero-emission alternatives.”