Frequently Asked Questions About the DMU

Q. What does DMU stand for?
A. DMU stands for diesel multiple unit – a technical description. People now understand DMU to mean a self-propelled commuter rail passenger car that is capable of pulling additional coaches.

Q. How fast will the DMU go?
A. In recent tests at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colorado, the DMU easily exceeded 100 mph. The railcar is designed for normal commute speeds of 60 to 70 mph.

Q. How many passengers will it seat?
A. The DMU has seating for 92 and a maximum passenger capacity of over 200 including standees.

Q. Is the DMU FRA compliant?
A. Absolutely. In fact Colorado Railcar’s DMU is the first and only self-propelled commuter railcar that fully meets the FRA’s newest 49 CFR Part 238 specifications including the compression buff load structural stress test of 800,000 pounds. The DMU is designed and approved to operate in mixed freight traffic.

Q. Is the DMU safe?
A. The DMU exceeds the most stringent safety requirements. Its unique car body structural design uses Corten steel tubes in a truss configuration providing a virtual “safety roll cage” for passengers.

Q. Does the DMU always have the huge dome windows that I see on the display model?
A. No. You can order any window size you require together with a steel roof.

Q. How heavy is the DMU?
A. 171,000 pounds.

Q. Is the DMU fuel efficient?
A. The DMU gets 2 miles per gallon carrying 90 passengers and 1.5 mpg carrying two additional coaches. This is about 4 times better than a standard commuter rail locomotive.

Q. Is the DMU environmentally friendly?
A. The DMU meets of exceeds 2005 EPA standards, has very low particulate emission (smoke) and is extremely quiet compared to a locomotive.

Q. Can the DMU pull additional cars?
A. Yes, the DMU is engineered to pull two or three additional single level coaches depending on the track‘s elevation and ruling grade. The DMU also has been shown in recent studies to accelerate very well in comparison with other commuter rail.