Arrow (railcar)
| Company type | Electric multiple unit railcars |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Predecessor | PRR MP54 |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Founder | Pennsylvania Railroad |
Area served | New Jersey commuter rail services |
| Products | Arrow I, Arrow II, Arrow III EMUs |
| Parent | NJ Transit (current operator) |
The Jersey Arrow represents a lineup of electric multiple unit (EMU) railcars initially designed for the Pennsylvania Railroad and subsequently operated by various New Jersey commuter rail services, currently managed by NJ Transit. Three distinct versions were manufactured, with only the third generation still active in service. While bearing resemblances to SEPTA's Silverliner trains, the Arrow series is distinguished by center doors and several unique design elements.
Arrow I
The inaugural Arrow series, designated as class MA-1A or PRR MP85E6, was constructed between 1968 and 1969 by the St. Louis Car Company. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) acquired 35 units, originally numbered 100 through 134. These vehicles featured a 3-2 seating arrangement aimed at increasing capacity, though this layout was met with passenger dissatisfaction.
Commissioned in 1966 to facilitate high-speed travel between New York and Trenton, the Arrow I design drew inspiration from the St. Louis Car-built SEPTA Silverliner III units. Delivery of the first two cars occurred in August 1968, with revenue service commencing on October 30, 1968. The cars utilized stainless steel for their body and structure, incorporating an integral monocoque framework except for the end sills and bolsters.
Despite a visual likeness to the Silverliner III, Arrow I cars had notable mechanical differences: they employed diamond-shaped twin-arm Stemmann pantographs, had more rounded windows, featured controls on the right side, included center doors, and sported a distinct body profile. Their propulsion system consisted of Westinghouse SCR "Tracpak" units producing 700 horsepower per car via four motors, contrasting with the Silverliners' GE air-cooled Ignitron technology.
Car number 107 was dismantled following an early fire incident; similarly, car 105 sustained severe damage in a 1975 collision near New York Penn Station and was eventually scrapped during the mid-1980s after being stored.
In 1976, nineteen out of the remaining thirty-three Arrow I units underwent modifications to ensure compatibility with Arrow II models. This involved replacing the original Symington-Wayne SW800 "hook type" couplers with Wabco N2A couplers used on subsequent versions. These cars were renumbered into the 500–533 range (with car 134 becoming 507 due to the loss of 107). A proposed renumbering to the 1200–1233 sequence was planned but never executed as the fleet was retired.
By 1980, all Arrow I vehicles had been withdrawn from service because of persistent reliability problems linked to their Westinghouse control systems, which suffered from inadequate wiring and frequent electrical malfunctions. They were placed into storage as new Arrow III models arrived from General Electric.
Comet IB conversion
The Arrow I fleet remained idle until 1986 when New Jersey Transit decided to convert them into locomotive-hauled coaches known as Comaro coaches. Between 1987 and 1988, thirty cars were transformed into Comet IB cab control cars and trailer coaches by Morrison-Knudsen at their facility in Hornell, New York. Three units that had been severely damaged by arson were salvaged for this conversion before being scrapped. The Comet IB cars operated for approximately twenty years—initially serving on Newark Division diesel lines before transferring to Hoboken Division diesel routes in 2005—until NJ Transit retired them in late 2008. Some units were leased or sold off while others were dismantled.
Subsequently, fourteen of these cars underwent another refurbishment for Amtrak California (Caltrans) to serve as temporary coaches. The cabs were removed from twelve cab control cars, and interiors were upgraded with seating for sixty-four passengers arranged similarly to Amtrak’s intercity coaches. These Caltrans Comet IBs were refurbished and delivered between 2013 and 2014 and currently operate on the San Joaquins route.
Arrow II
In 1974, General Electric manufactured 70 married pairs of Arrow II cars (class MA-1G) at its Erie, Pennsylvania facility, utilizing Avco car bodies and numbered 534 through 603. These units were acquired to replace the aging PRR MP54 fleet and began operation by the end of 1977.
The Arrow II cars incorporated design features similar to SEPTA's Silverliner IV but differed by having a smaller air intake hump, omitting dynamic brakes, and retaining the high-level center door from the original Arrow I model. Passenger feedback led to a change from the Arrow I’s 3-2 seating arrangement to a more comfortable 2-2 layout, and a restroom was installed in the B-car.
These cars were often leased to Amtrak for use on off-peak Clocker services and to the Maryland Department of Transportation between 1978 and 1979, gradually replacing the remaining MP54 units. Even after cars 590 and 591 were damaged in a 1978 accident, they were repaired and returned to active service. From late 1979 through 1982, Amtrak utilized them for Silverliner Service as well as off-peak Clockers.
Following NJ Transit’s establishment, the Arrow IIs—showing signs of wear—were sent to Morrison Knudsen starting in January 1983 for extensive refurbishment aimed at achieving compatibility with Arrow III units. Nearly all major systems—including brakes, couplers, traction motors, gearboxes, and electrical components—were either rebuilt or upgraded. Seating was reverted to a 3-2 configuration to increase capacity (from 100 to 119 seats in A-cars and from 96 to 113 in B-cars), with fold-down handicap seating added in B-cars alongside refurbished restrooms. Sliding doors were modified for improved sensitivity compatible with Arrow III controls; windows were replaced with polycarbonate glazing; cab ends received new strobes, marker lights, pilots; locks were standardized; and transformers were swapped for EPA-compliant models.
Between late 1983 and 1984, these refurbished Arrow II cars were renumbered from 1234 to 1303 and repainted in NJ Transit livery. They initially operated on the Newark Division before being reassigned to the Hoboken Division for the remainder of their service life. By 1997, due to structural degradation such as rotting floors and roof leaks, they were withdrawn from service and replaced by ALP44 locomotives coupled with Comet IV push-pull coaches ordered specifically for Midtown Direct operations. Most of the fleet was scrapped by 2001; however, married pair 1236–1237 (renumbered as 601–602) survives in a split configuration as part of SEPTA’s wire inspection train.
Arrow III
Constructed by General Electric during 1977–78, the Arrow III fleet consists of 200 married pairs (numbered 1334–1533) along with 30 single cars (1304–1333). Initially commissioned to support NJDOT’s electrification upgrade of the Hoboken Division from 3,000 V DC to 25 kV AC, delays and subsequent reallocation resulted in most Arrow III units operating primarily on former Penn Central electrified routes. Upon completion of Hoboken’s electrification in 1984, only a portion of these cars served there; the majority remained assigned exclusively to the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line. Since these cars lack automatic transformer tap changers, each unit carries a voltage indicator sticker ("12K" or "25K") specifying its operational line voltage. After conversion of the North Jersey Coast Line south of Matawan to 25 kV AC, multiple-unit service to Long Branch was discontinued in favor of push-pull trains.
The Arrow III’s exterior bears resemblance to both Silverliner IV and Arrow II models but is distinguished by smaller air intake blisters replacing large humps, dual-arm Stemmann pantographs (which were replaced by single-arm TransTech pantographs between 2011 and 2014), and a central roof-mounted air scoop positioned at each cab end. The interior seating arrangement returned to a traditional 3-2 format.
From 1992 through 1995, ABB performed a comprehensive mid-life modernization that replaced the original DC propulsion system with a solid-state three-phase AC drive featuring GTO thyristor technology combined with VVVF inverter control. This upgrade included higher-capacity traction motors rated around 375 horsepower per two-axle truck. As a result, one truck per married pair was de-motored—reducing powered axles from eight to six—but overall horsepower increased to approximately 1,125 per pair. Single units retained four powered axles delivering a total of roughly 750 horsepower. Following this rebuild, some issues arose involving overheating of traction motors and axle bearings that necessitated reductions in maximum operating speeds from their original limits down progressively over time.
Extended usage and upcoming phase-out
By 2013, New Jersey Transit primarily utilized Arrow III railcars across several lines, including the Morris & Essex Lines (covering routes from Hoboken to Gladstone or Dover/Summit), the Montclair-Boonton Line (running between Montclair State University and Hoboken), the Princeton Branch, the North Jersey Coast Line (serving New York to Rahway or Matawan), and the Northeast Corridor Line (operating from New York to Jersey Avenue/Trenton). Nevertheless, throughout the summer and fall of 2014, a significant number of Comet series vehicles, notably Comet V cars, supplanted Arrow IIIs on express routes heading to New York, weekend shuttle services connecting New York and Secaucus Junction, as well as on trips to Rahway, South Amboy, and Matawan.
In subsequent developments, New Jersey Transit intended to phase out all Arrow III units in favor of self-powered railcars designed similarly to the Bombardier MultiLevel Coach. In December 2018, NJ Transit secured a contract with Bombardier for the delivery of 113 new electric multiple unit coaches—comprising 58 powered units equipped with AC electric propulsion and 55 unpowered MultiLevel III coaches. This agreement also contained provisions for up to 636 additional cars for NJ Transit and an extra 250 cars designated for SEPTA Regional Rail.