CRRC HR4000
| Industry | Rail vehicle manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Springfield, Massachusetts , United States |
| Products | HR4000 electric multiple unit trains |
The HR4000 is an electric multiple unit designed for rapid transit and produced by CRRC, with assembly taking place in Springfield, Massachusetts specifically for the Los Angeles Metro Rail's B and D routes.
In 2017, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) placed an order for 64 cars from CRRC, including options to acquire up to 218 additional units. Manufacturing commenced in 2021, and the first HR4000 train began operating on the D Line on December 20, 2024, after completing trials on Section 1 of the D Line Extension.
History
By 2024, the current subway fleet consisting of Breda A650 trains had been in service for more than 26 years, having been constructed between 1988 and 1997. The new HR4000 vehicles are intended to fully replace the Breda A650 fleet, facilitate increased service frequencies of four minutes, and accommodate the phased expansions of the D Line.
Following the groundbreaking for the D Line Extension in 2014, Metro initiated a procurement process for new rolling stock. A request for proposals was issued in June 2016, drawing submissions from both CRRC and Hyundai Rotem.
In December 2016, Metro recommended awarding the contract to CRRC, which was finalized by April 2017. The deal included a $178 million base order for 64 HR4000 cars—34 designated for Section 1 of the D Line Extension and 30 to replace existing Breda A650 trains—with options for an additional 218 units valued at $647 million. CRRC’s bid was selected based on its competitive pricing, superior technical evaluation, and commitment to sourcing 65% of content from U.S. suppliers.
To accommodate the increased fleet size, an expansion of Division 20 yard began in 2019, with completion targeted for 2026. Initial plans anticipated service entry in spring 2020 and contract completion by 2021; however, production only started in 2021 at CRRC’s Springfield facility using bodyshells sourced from Changchun, China. Delays arose due to COVID-19 related supply chain disruptions and adherence to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
By May 2023, first deliveries were projected for early August. The initial two cars (numbers 4005 and 4006) arrived at Division 20 on July 29, 2023. Revenue operations were scheduled for 2024, with testing activities beginning in December of that year. The HR4000 trains officially commenced passenger service on December 20, 2024.
Options
Four option orders were available totaling 218 cars: 112 intended for general service expansion; 20 allocated for Section 2 of the D Line Extension; 12 designated for Section 3; and 74 meant to replace a second group of Breda A650 units (cars numbered 531-604). Due to construction delays and restrictions imposed by the 2019 Transit Infrastructure Vehicle Security Act—which limits federal funding eligibility for CRRC products—Metro decided against exercising these options under the HR4000 contract. Instead, in January 2024, Metro procured 182 HR5000 cars from Hyundai Rotem.
Design
A full-scale mockup was completed in 2019 to gather input from Metro stakeholders. The finalized design was revealed in July 2021. Externally, the trains feature full-color LED destination displays that replace the green monochrome dot-matrix flip-dot signs used on the older A650 models. Inside, seating arrangements emphasize increased longitudinal seats to boost capacity along with open gangways connecting cars configured as married pairs.