The US DOT posted a press release today announcing "Department of Transportation Opens Bidding for Made-in-America Passenger Rail Cars". So the RFPs for the production of "approximately" 130 corridor bi-level cars are now open for bid submissions from the manufacturers. Excerpts:
"Potentially Iowa"? Interesting jab at the Chicago-Quad Cities (obligated) to Iowa City (stalled in IA politics) project. My take is that the DOT is saying, Iowa, you would say no to running AMERICAN MADE passenger trains to Iowa City?WASHINGTON – Rail car manufacturers across the country will have an opportunity to submit bids to produce the first American-made, standardized passenger rail cars, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today.
The $551 million Request for Proposals (RFP) to manufacture approximately 130 new bi-level passenger rail cars in America comes from a groundbreaking multi-state effort to jointly purchase standardized rail equipment to be used on Amtrak’s intercity routes in California, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Missouri, and potentially Iowa. The funding is being provided by the Federal Railroad Administration’s High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Program.
Selection of the manufacturer will occur in the Fall of 2012. The cars will be delivered starting in 2015.
The effort to purchase standardized equipment is led by the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act Section 305 Next Generation Corridor Equipment Pool Committee, comprised of representatives of interested states, the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak, host freight railroad companies, passenger railroad equipment manufacturers and suppliers, and other passenger railroad operators. The Committee has also completed specifications for high-performance diesel locomotives that can travel up to 125 miles-per-hour and for single level passenger rail cars.