Alstom to modernize MBTA rail and LRT fleet
Written by Jennifer Nunez, Assistant Editor, Railway Track & StructuresBoston's Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has awarded Alstom Transport two rail fleet modernization contracts with a combined value of approximately $220 million.
The contracts will be executed at Alstom’s rolling stock manufacturing facility in Hornell, N.Y. Both projects are scheduled to begin immediately.
The first project includes the full modernization of 86 articulated light rail transit vehicles operating on MBTA’s Green Line, which dates back to the 1980s and transports more than 200,000 passengers daily from Boston’s downtown city center to the surrounding suburbs. The cars will be outfitted with new interior surfaces and with new propulsion and climate control systems. The first modernized Green Line cars are scheduled for delivery in late 2013.
For the second project, Alstom will refit 74 bi-level MBTA commuter rail cars. Work includes the overhaul of the brake system components on each vehicle, the installation of new operator control screens, passenger information displays, interior seating, dynamic signage and upgraded door control mechanisms. A pilot set of 10 bi-level cars will arrive in Hornell in late 2012 and the first modernized cars are scheduled for return to Boston in late 2013. Production will reach a maximum rate of four cars per month.
Guillaume Mehlman, president of Alstom Transport North America stated, “To date, Alstom has successfully modernized more than 5,000 passenger rail cars across the USA. The know-how and dedication of Alstom teams will give these time-tested rail cars a new lease on life and offer MBTA’s passengers superior on-board comfort.”
The modernization of both MBTA rail fleets, including the engineering, will take place within the United States and incorporate a level of American content at or above 80 percent. The two projects will create nearly 400 jobs across the U.S. and, together with the PATCO fleet modernization already underway, bring as many as 100 new jobs to Alstom’s Hornell facility over the next three years.
