An Important Milestone

This story, written by Christina Wallace, appeared in the Metro on January 20, 2007.

Almost six years after the MBTA entered a contract to purchase 94 new Blue Line cars, two of the cars were delivered to Boston last week and are undergoing testing to be cleared for service.

The two prototypes arrived at the T's Medford maintenance facility last week after MBTA General Manager Daniel Grabauskas met with the company's United States CEO.

"This is an important milestone," Grabauskas told the Metro. "It is a good sign they are here."

Although testing is under way, the cars are far from hitting the tracks, Grabauskas said. They will be put into service during off-hours so T workers can identify glitches and report them to the manufacturer.

Although Grabauskas wouldn't commit to a date when the cars will be put into permanent service, he said he was hoping for a spring delivery.

"I do not want to get sloppy at the end. We want to do it right," Grabauskas said.