- Electric train - Chicago - Public Transit ## Chicago Metra calls its new battery-electric locomotive a first of its kind Metra’s diesel-engined commuter trains are familiar sights in and around Chicago, and so is the smell of spent diesel that surrounds them – but a new battery-electric FLIRT locomotive from Stadler is about to change all that, and it’s set to arrive this week. Officially dubbed the Flinker Leichter Innovativer Regional-Triebzug (FLIRT), the German-designed battery-electric locomotive promises a (wait for it …) fast, light, and innovative rapid transit solution that drops…