What's next for MBTA's new Red Line cars held by Trump administration
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The end of an international logjam involving the Trump administration could soon mean more new Red Line subway cars in the tunnels beneath Boston.
Why it matters: The clock is now ticking on a long-promised project already years behind schedule.
State of play: U.S. Customs and Border Protection last month released a batch of train car shells manufactured in China by the company working for the T to provide new subway vehicles.
- The shells had been held for nearly 10 months over federal concerns that Uyghur people were forced to labor on them.
- Gov. Maura Healey and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal helped secure the release after bringing the issue directly to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, the Globe reported.
The customs detention pushed an already-slipping schedule further back. Now there are just under two years until the initial 2027 target to deliver all the new cars.
By the numbers: The T ordered 252 total Red Line cars from CRRC.
- 60 were delivered as of late January 2026.
- 190 cars are still in the pipeline.
What's next: The impounded shells are expected to finally make their way to the CRRC MA factory in Springfield by mid-April.
- The plant is set to resume assembly and retrofitting operations on the shells. The company will begin recalling 142 workers furloughed since the shells were impounded, including electricians and engineers.
Zoom in: The MBTA's existing Red Line fleet is around 30 to 50 years old and has proven dangerously vulnerable to winter conditions and fair-weather breakdowns.
- The newer CRRC cars have outperformed benchmarks for winter performance set by the T.
- At least they could be here by next winter.
The bottom line: The parts are finally moving, but whether Springfield workers can make up lost ground before the 2027 deadline is still an open question.