The twin-level coaches are needed to handle a ridership that has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels and which officials project will continue to grow over the next few years. Ridership is currently at 94 percent of 2019 levels, and in June, ridership was higher than June 2019.

"Knowing that the ridership on the commuter rail is the strongest across the nation in terms of return of ridership, we have to continue to build out our ability to support commuter rail," MBTA General Manager Phil Eng said at the meeting. "Particularly as we increase frequency, as we look to increase people's ability to use our system all day long, and improve service not only weekdays but weekends."

Future expansions to the commuter rail system, such as the long-anticipated South Coast Rail project, are also expected to spur ridership.

"This is an immediate need for additional coaches," William Wolfgang, the MBTA's senior director of vehicle engineering, said at the meeting.

The MBTA's original contract with South Korean firm Hyundai Rotem, awarded in 2019, procured 83 double-decker coaches -- 80 of which are now in service -- with an option for an additional 80. In May, the board voted to buy 41 of those coaches, with the understanding that more would be acquired if the necessary funding was secured.

Manufacturing the coaches is expected to take around 30 months, meaning the full order won't be delivered until 2027.

Keolis Commuter Services, the private company that operates the commuter rail, could not be reached for comment. An MBTA spokesperson referred the Globe to the board of directors meeting.

In a report released last year, the MBTA estimated that just over half of its rolling stock needed replacement or some level of repair. The agency projected those costs would run about $2.4 billion, approximately 10 percent of the total estimated cost for all needed repairs and replacements across the system.

"Obviously, with older coaches, reliability has taken a backseat," Wolfgang said. "With newer coaches, we're able to bring our reliability up and our customer satisfaction up."

The MBTA has eyed phasing out its single-level commuter rail coaches since 2019, when it approved the Rotem contract. Since then, the agency has retired 114 of its 260 single-level coaches -- including many built by the Pullman Company, which is now defunct.

There are approximately 300 double-decker coaches on the commuter rail today, including the newer Rotem models and several older coaches built in the 1990s by Kawasaki, according to the MBTA's vehicle inventory.