Highliner

Highliner

Company type	Railcar model
Industry	Rail transport
Predecessor	IC Electric heavyweight cars
Founded	1971
Founder	St. Louis Car Company
Headquarters	Chicago , United States
Products	Bilevel electric multiple unit railcars

The Highliner is a bilevel electric multiple unit (EMU) railcar initially constructed in 1971 by the St. Louis Car Company for commuter operations on the Illinois Central Railroad serving southern Chicago, Illinois. Subsequent units were manufactured by Bombardier. Starting in 2005, a redesigned second-generation model was launched by Nippon Sharyo.

History

The electrification of Illinois Central's commuter rail lines took place in 1926, operating under the name IC Electric. The original heavyweight cars remained in service for nearly four decades until modern rolling stock was required to enhance service quality. In 1967, the Chicago South Suburban Mass Transit District was formed to obtain federal funding for new vehicles. The first batch of 130 Highliner cars cost approximately $40 million, with $26.6 million provided through federal grants and the balance funded by Illinois Central. These electric cars, powered by overhead catenary wires, accommodated 156 passengers and delivered superior performance compared to their predecessors.

Funding responsibility shifted in 1976 when the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) began subsidizing the IC Electric service. By 1983, the RTA established Metra, which acquired the IC Electric line in 1987, renaming it the Metra Electric Line. Between 1978 and 1979, Bombardier produced an additional 36 Highliner units. Due to aging equipment and escalating maintenance expenses, the original fleet was gradually retired beginning in 2005 and completely withdrawn from service by February 12, 2016. Twenty-four of these cars were preserved at museums throughout the Midwest, including the Illinois Railway Museum; the remainder were dismantled in Mendota, Illinois.

Highliner II

The Highliner II series is produced by Japanese manufacturer Nippon Sharyo in partnership with Sumitomo Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation of America. These railcars bear resemblance to Metra’s gallery-style coaches used on diesel-operated routes. The South Shore Line, which shares tracks with Metra Electric between Millennium Station and Kensington/115th Street before diverging toward Indiana, also operates Highliner IIs as part of its EMU roster.

Metra’s Highliner II vehicles feature two centrally located doors; one door incorporates a "trap" mechanism to facilitate low-level boarding during staff operations or emergencies. The South Shore Line’s specific Highliner IIs (numbered 1201-1226) include a distinct single door with a low-level boarding trap at one end, designed to mirror the single-level EMUs utilized on that line.

In 2016, Nippon Sharyo ceased operations at its Rochelle, Illinois manufacturing facility due to financial difficulties and an inability to fulfill contracts for Amtrak bilevel cars.

By 2024, Metra initiated trials for operating trains at speeds up to 90 mph on segments of the Metra Electric District, with plans to increase maximum speeds across the entire network to 79 mph. This effort involves upgrading signaling infrastructure and overhead catenary systems. The prior speed restriction of 65 mph was based on outdated braking algorithms originally developed for 1926 Pullman rolling stock and later replaced by technology introduced with Highliner I units.

Highliner I

Owner	Numbers	Type	Heritage	Year built	Builder	Status	Notes
Metra	1501–1630	MU Coach	Illinois Central	1971–1972	St. Louis	Retired	Car #1509 destroyed in 1972 Chicago train collision
	1631–1666		RTA	1978–1979	Bombardier

Highliner II

Owner	Fleet Numbers	Car Type	Line Affiliation	Manufacture Year	Manufacturer	Current Status
South Shore Line	1201–1226	MU Coach	South Shore Line	2005	Nippon Sharyo	In Service
Metra	1227–1238	MU Coach	Metra	2012	Nippon Sharyo	In Service
	1239–1279	MU Coach	Metra	2013	Nippon Sharyo	In Service
	1280–1386	MU Coach	Metra	2014–2016	Nippon Sharyo	In Service