MBTA to prep test track for new Red Line subway cars

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) this fall will begin upgrading  track that will be used to test new Red Line subway cars.

Work will begin after the MBTA solicits bids and awards a contract, agency officials said in a press release. Upgrading the track for testing is expected to cost $32 million.

The agency has ordered 252 new cars from CRRC MA Corp. to replace the Red Line's entire fleet by the end of 2023. The company will build the carbody shells in China and assemble and manufacture the cars at a plant in Springfield, Mass.

MBTA will perform tests on every element of the cars' systems to ensure the new trains operate safely and reliably, agency officials said. After the cars are fully tested and approved by an MBTA engineering team, the new units will begin serving riders on the Red Line, the agency's busiest subway line.

The stretch of track is close to the Red Line's maintenance facility. The agency will be able to move cars from the facility to the test track with no impact on the main line, MBTA officials said.