Acquisition of new heavy rail vehicles and associated equipment that will play a key part in L.A. Metro’s systemwide rail expansion over the next decade.
2 min to read
Acquisition of new heavy rail vehicles and associated equipment that will play a key part in L.A. Metro’s systemwide rail expansion over the next decade.
A joint venture of STV and WSP USA has been selected by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) to provide professional consulting services for the acquisition of new heavy rail vehicles and associated equipment that will play a key part in Metro’s systemwide rail expansion over the next decade.
The joint venture will support Metro’s project manager and transit capital staff with project control, management and oversight of the rail vehicle contractor so its performance is consistent with Metro’s heavy rail contract delivery requirements. The contract is for a base order of 64 new rail cars, with five options to potentially order an additional 218 heavy rail vehicles.
The vehicles will be built by China Railway Rolling Stock Corp. MA Corp. (CRRC MA), and will replace existing trains now traveling on the Metro Red and Purple Lines between downtown Los Angeles, Mid-Wilshire District and North Hollywood. Additionally, 34 cars have been earmarked for the Metro Purple Line’s first four-mile extension from the Mid-Wilshire District to Beverly Hills, which is expected to begin operating in 2023. The other 30 cars are to be replacements for the original Base Order A650 cars, which are reaching the end of their lifespan.
“These new, state-of-the-art vehicles will help Metro better meet the needs of its expanding customer base as the system opens up new lines and extensions over the next 10 years,” said Christopher Holliday, P.E., STV senior vice president of vehicle engineering. “These vehicles will feature a totally new design, with all of the latest technology and amenities that today’s riders have come to expect.”
Metro has estimated that the first six pilot cars could arrive in the fall of 2020 with all 64 cars going into revenue service by April 2022.
The initiative is also expected to bring manufacturing jobs to the region. CRRC has announced plans to invest in a Los Angeles-based facility that will be used to manufacture components, including propulsion, auxiliary power, air conditioning, lighting and communications systems. Body shells for the fleet will be fabricated in China with final assembly taking place at a CRRC plant in Springfield, Mass.
As part of STV/WSP’s scope of services, the team will provide schedule analysis, consultant budget control, engineering support, warranty program implementation support, a final configuration audit and safety certification, while also developing a reliability demonstration test program.
Amtrak will open grant applications March 23 for community projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore as part of a $50 million investment tied to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program.
The Denmark Station $2.3 million construction investment project includes a new 280-foot concrete boarding platform, built eight inches above the top of rail, for improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities and families with small children and much more.
Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.
The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.
Under the plan, all long-distance routes will transition to a universal single-level fleet, replacing today’s mix of bi-level and single-level equipment.
