NJT ordered 29 locomotives: the first 24 ALP-46 locomotives in December 1999 and an additional five locomotives in September 2001. They were built by Bombardier at their Kassel, Germany plant. The first two locomotives were built as preseries locomotives for testing—4600 was tested on the TTCI test plant in Pueblo, Colorado, 4601 was sent to Kearny for testing on the NJT network. All locomotives were transported via road to the port of Bremen and shipped on Roro-ships of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics to Port Elizabeth. In February 2008, NJT ordered twenty-seven top speed ALP-46A locomotives from Bombardier, which were to haul Bombardier MultiLevel Coaches. The estimated value of the order was €155 million. In June 2009, NJT took up an option for a further nine locomotives, and spare parts, at a cost of $72 million. On November 12, 2009, Bombardier ceremonially handed over the first two completed ALP-46As to New Jersey Transit over at their Kassel plant in Germany. They arrived on NJT property on December 13. Locomotive 4629 was shipped by rail to a testing facility in Pueblo, Colorado, while 4630 was placed on the rails at the Meadows Maintenance Complex in Kearny for testing on property and maintenance training. As of April 5, 2011, all locomotives have been delivered. As of May 7, 2011, all locomotives have entered regular revenue service. In October 2019, as part of New Jersey Transit's 40th Anniversary, locomotive No. 4636 was wrapped into a Pennsylvania Railroad scheme.
Commuter rail operator GO Transit is considering the use of the ALP-46 for some or all of the operator's current lines. GO Transit has performed a study on electrification of their current diesel operations.
Variants, operations
Both the ALP-46 and ALP-46A have been used to haul NJ Transit's Comet IIM, IV, V, and Multilevel fleet. The ALP-46 was also used to pull Amfleet consists on Amtrak's Clocker service in its final days of operation.
ALP-46
The ALP-46 locomotives produce and are powered by overhead catenary. They can reach a top speed of. The ALP-46 is derived from the DBAG Class 101 locomotive, of which the operating speed is. The locomotives use Bombardier's MITRAC 3000 electric propulsion system. The system consists of a polyol-ester cooled transformer to reduce the catenary voltage which feeds two polyol-ester cooled GTO based traction converters. Each traction converter feeds the motors of one truck.
ALP-46A
The ALP-46A locomotives use Bombardier's MITRAC 3000 electric propulsion system. The traction converters are from a newer generation based on IGBT technology. The converters are water cooled and have individual inverters for each traction motor. Power at rail is increased to and top speed is increased to, though NJ Transit limits them to 100.
