LaserTrain Wrap. On Thursday, October 12, 2023, MTA Metro-North Railroad's "LaserTrain" car, Comet III 5010 (née-MNCW 5180, Bombardier, 1990) operated on the Hudson and Harlem Lines. This coach had been purchased by the MTA for West-of- Hudson revenue service, and was brought to MNR after New Jersey Transit retired its Comet IIIs. In 2022, it was equipped with technology produced by Laser Precision Solutions (LPS). It is seen north of the Riverdale Station in the Bronx, New York, with MNCW 139 (BL20GHM, Brookville) leading sandwiched within a trainset to facilitate changing ends. The LaserTrain works by vaporizing ("laser ablation" of) leaf residue off of the rails throughout the system. The task of leaf removal had previously been done by MNR's "Water World" trains spraying water, which will still supplement for this task. During the autumn season, leaves falling on the tracks can cause "slip-slide" conditions when run over by trains, and are especially a problem for braking. Poor rail adhesion causes flat spots on train wheels, which requires the trains to be withdrawn from service for maintenance. The LaserTrain does this traveling at 60 miles per hour, while trains that spray water must travel much more slowly to be effective. Metro-North states that during the pilot test last in 2022, this car cleaned over 12,000 miles of track, which resulted in "the lowest wheel-true cost season on record". This colorful wrap was recently applied by MNR, with a leaf design decorating the car.
With three lines radiating north out of Grand Central Terminal plus service to Port Jervis on the former Erie, Metro North covers a wide swatch of New York's northern suburbs with varying terrains.
