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MBTA To Spend $115M To Cut Down On Commuter Rail Delays

Hoping to cut down on delays, the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority plans to spend $115 million to improve the state's commuter rail system by replacing older trains with 20 new locomotives.

Mechanical delays, especially on older trains, are responsible for about half of the T's delays, said MBTA General Manager Richard Davey.

"It's just like an old car that you just continue to have trouble in the morning," Davey said, "whether trying to start it up on a cold day or as you continue to put substantial mileage on it, you can no longer just change the oil."

Currently, the system runs 60 locomotives each day, and the MBTA hopes to run more trains in the future.

The new trains will upgrade the commuter rail's fuel efficiency and the MBTA hopes to save over $1.5 million per year on fuel, according to Davey.

Davey says the federal government will eventually pay about 80 percent of the cost of the upgrade.

This program aired on July 15, 2010. The audio for this program is not available.

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