The first group of production workers will travel to China next week for highly specialized training in assembling the new railcars.
Wire crimping has never been done properly, which contributed to incidents where railcars have problems that can create significant delays.
Agency must to take immediate actions to mitigate the risk, including submitting work plans to the FTA by June 29 regarding how it will fix issue.
The new 7000-series railcars — the largest railcar order in CTA history — will be built by CSR Sifang America JV, which as part of its winning bid has pledged to build a brand-new rail car assembly facility in Chicago.
If the FTA determines within the next several weeks that the 5000-series, which were purchased using federal funds, should not be retired so soon, WMATA probably will forgo purchasing the 220 new 7000-series cars.
The new cars will belong to a fleet of more than 500 new railcars, which are designed to provide a safer, more comfortable ride for millions of passengers and expand the Metrorail system’s capacity overall.
The introduction of the first new train will be the most significant milestone to date for a project that has spanned nearly five years from approval and funding, through design and engineering, to testing and certification.
FTA provided $44.8 million in funding specifically to help fund the replacement of the 1000-series railcars. In addition, the agency has committed $58.3 million for 64 new railcars through a grant program.
The new design, created after careful study of existing design, passenger flow, capacity and comfort, is a hybrid of the best features from existing CTA railcar styles — incorporating both forward- and aisle-facing seats.
The railcars, expected to begin delivery around 2016, will replace current rail stock that is nearing or beyond 30 years of age.
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