[4] On July 2, 2019, SEPTA and CRRC agreed to a six-month extension on the delivery deadline for the 45 Springfield-built double-decker commuter rail cars.
[5] A few weeks later, Congress banned federal funding for new railcars for practically all Chinese-made buses and trains, citing connections with the People's Liberation Army.
Federal transportation officials visited the Springfield facility in March 2023, as part of its "scheduled review” compliance with the Buy America provision in place.
[8][9] CRRC MA notified MBTA officials in January 2023 they would not be able to deliver the remaining Orange and Red Line railcars by December 2023 and September 2026, respectively.
[12] In late March of 2024, the state of Massachusetts and CRRC officials agreed to extend the company's deadline to deliver a total of 404 railway cars from the long-missed due dates of January 2022 and September 2023, until 2029.