M-8 Roll-Out: 'We Got You New Cars' [Video]

Update, 10:31 a.m.:

Boarding an M-8 car Tuesday afternoon was like visiting a car dealership and stepping into this year's new model: the smell of new materials, and floors and seats so clean and bright the everyday New Haven Line commuter — accustomed to 30-year-old equipment — might assume they were sterile.

The train's conductor, Bob Brandt, was jovial, announcing to passengers boarding his train, “You asked for new cars, we got you new cars.”

The eight-car train debuted for passenger service in Stamford as the 10:30 a.m. to Grand Central Terminal and returned as the 2:10 local to Stamford before traveling back to New Haven empty of passengers.

Update, 5:36 p.m.: 

A complete schedule for this week's M-8 rides (through March 4) has been added below.

*Outbound times listed in reverse.

Update, 4:49 p.m.:

Metro-North spokesman Marjorie Anders described Tuesday morning's M-8 train ride as "flawless" and gave Patch the train's schedule for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday:

• The train will depart from New Haven at 6:24 a.m. and arrive at Grand Central Terminal at 8:06 a.m. (It won't be stopping in Darien, but if you commute from Stamford, it's the 7:16 a.m.)
• Next, it will make an empty trip to Harrison, N.Y. and return to Grand Central again at 9:15 a.m. The train will stay there during the day for the railroad to train engineers and conductors in its use.
• Finally, it will leave Grand Central at 4:07 p.m. and arrive in New Haven at 5:54 p.m. (passing through Stamford at 4:52 p.m.).

Anders said she's not sure what the train's schedule will be next week but that it would be "put to good use."

The railroad will eventually roll out a minimum of 342 — and possibly 380 — new cars, but only one train of six cars is operating for the moment.

Update, 12:31 p.m.:

The six new M-8 cars that entered into service Tuesday morning arrived at Grand Central moments ago with no reported hitches.

Governor Dannel Malloy hailed the unveiling in a statement, calling it a milestone that underscored his "commitment to investing in public transportation and in Connecticut's economy."

"Our commuters have endured the existing fleet long enough and I thank them for their patience," Malloy added. "I am delighted to see these cars go into service and I commend the DOT, Metro-North and Kawasaki for all they have done to make this happen.”

“This testing took over one year to ensure that the M-8 will provide quality service for its 30 year life," Metro-North President Howard Permut said in a separate statement. "We plan to put more of these cars into service as soon as they complete individual quality assurance testing.”

Original article:

After copious delays and commuter frustration, Metro-North's much-anticipated M-8 cars made their inaugural public run on the New Haven Line Tuesday.

A train of six cars left Stamford at 10:30 a.m. bound for Grand Central Terminal, where it was scheduled to arrive at 11:46 a.m.

The first M-8s, built by Kawasaki, were delivered to the railroad roughly a year behind schedule in December 2009 and have been in testing since.

The cars, which closely mirror the M-7 models running on the Harlem and Hudson lines, are equipped with larger windows, roomier seats, and LED screens that display station information, among other features. 

Many components of the new cars are controlled by centralized computer systems, which are shielded from the elements to minimize the impact of inclement weather.

The interiors of the cars were designed by Ridgefield's Cesar Vergara.

Patch will have more on this story shortly. Photos courtesy of Jim Cameron, chairman of the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council.