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7 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Budd M2-New Haven: JayMan· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. 20070501a New York Metro-North: Roehrensee· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3. Acela Express and Metro-North railcar: Connor Harris· Public domain
- 4. Awaiting New Haven Line Departure (8489252783): Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York· CC BY 2.0
- 5. Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum (Willimantic, Connecticut) (44711848884): JJBers from Willimantic, Connecticut, USA· CC BY 2.0
- 6. Fordham Metro North 5 23 2007: JayMan· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 7. Grand Central Terminal Train Platform: Cjophoto96· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The M2, M4 and M6 were three similar series of electric multiple unit rail cars produced by the Budd Company (M2), Tokyu Car Corporation (M4), and Morrison-Knudsen (M6) for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT). Initially branded as the Cosmopolitans, the cars were later more popularly known under their model names. They ran on the New Haven Line (then part of Penn Central, now a part of Metro-North) for most of their service life.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 53 years ago, in 1973.
- Top speed is 1.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 15 minutes.
- 483 kW is about 6 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 8 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 311 m long: about 69 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 45 years (1973–2018).
multiple unit: A self-propelled train: motors are spread under the passenger cars, so no separate locomotive.
spec sheet
- built
- 1973
- in service from
- 1973
- retired
- 2018
- status
- retired
- number built
- 346
- kind
- multiple unit
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- builders
- Avco, Budd Company, Canadian Vickers, General Electric, Japan Transport Engineering Company, Morrison-Knudsen
- operators
- Penn Central Transportation Company, Conrail, Metro-North Railroad
- top speed
- 161 km/h
- power
- 483 kW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- electric system
- Overhead line, 3 Electrification of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad, 12.5 kV 60 Hz AC
- wheel arrangement
- Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′
- formation
- M2: Married pair, M4/M6: Triplet
- length
- 311 m
- weight
- 50.8 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q65428826, Wikipedia: M2/M4/M6 (railcar) (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.