Mafersa coaches

The Mafersa coaches are a class of 38 passenger railroad cars built by Brazilian manufacturer Mafersa. Originally built for Virginia Railway Express (VRE) in 1991–92, they are currently operated by Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) for CT Rail service and by QIT-Fer et Titane.

History
Mafersa built the coaches new for VRE for $24.7 million. VRE sold 33 of the coaches to CTDOT in 2004 for its Shore Line East service. QIT-Fer et Titane, a Quebec mining company, purchased the remaining five cars in 2008. The CTDOT cars were used for Shore Line East service until 2022, then moved to Hartford Line service.

In August 2023, CTDOT approved a contract with Alstom for 60 single-level passenger cars, which will replace the Mafersa coaches in Hartford Line service (as well as Shoreliner cars on other lines) beginning in 2026.