A rendering of the new SMART vehicles.
Sumitomo Corp. of America
, in conjunction with its car builder partner Nippon Sharyo, was awarded a contract from Calif.-based Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit District (SMART) to supply 18 Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs).
The contract price is about $57 million for 18 DMUs and includes options for SMART and its partner agencies to purchase up to 146 cars. The delivery of 18 DMUs is scheduled from the end of 2013 through the middle of 2014.
The new 18 DMUs will be used for a newly prepared commuter rail line both in Sonoma and Marin Counties, and more DMUs may be purchased as an option by SMART and/or other transit agencies.
The DMU for this contract is fully compliant with Buy America and other federal regulations for crash energy management and greenhouse gases and emission controls, and has features that assure complete passenger safety. It also has broad functionality as a semi-high-speed railcar and is expected to serve various types of future projects.