The company traces its history back to being a division of Morrison-Knudsen (MK) since 1972.

[1] After MotivePower spun-off from MK, the company merged with the air brake manufacturer WABCO to form "Wabtec" in 1999, remaining as a brand of it.

After Morrison-Knudsen's bankruptcy in 1996, MK Rail renamed itself "MotivePower Industries", doing business as "Boise Locomotive".

[6][7][8] MotivePower's flagship product is the MPI MPXpress passenger locomotive.

Over two hundred locomotives have been built for commuter rail operators in the United States and Canada.