Batteries To The Bay. MTA LIRR M7s 7603 and 7604 (Bombardier), were brought to the station in Oyster Bay, New York for a press conference with Long Island Rail Road President Phil Eng. On the morning of Monday, April 19, 2021 he announced a partnership with ALSTOM, who recently purchased Bombardier Transportation, to retrofit existing electric MU cars with rechargeable batteries for traction power. The railroad plans to trial these cars on the non-electrified Oyster Branch and would potentially expand the program to other MTA LIRR and Metro-North lines. This is the only time these cars have traveled to Oyster Bay, New York to date, as this line is served by diesel or dual mode engines and non-powered coaches.
LIRR 504 (DM30) stops at Oyster Bay with Train 564 on the evening of Monday, April 19, 2021, giving a live example of the two technologies side by side.
