FRA opens bidding for American-made passenger rail cars

The Federal Railroad Administration announced today that they have opened up bidding for the first standardized, American-made passenger rail cars:

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.

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In preparation for orders such as this, the U.S. Department of Transportation has partnered with the Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) to connect large car builders and more than 34,000 domestic suppliers, and help them retool their production capabilities to meet demand.  The MEP connects suppliers with viable business opportunities that may have otherwise gone to foreign suppliers.

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The new uniform standards will drive down lifecycle costs and allow more manufacturers and suppliers to compete, fostering a healthy competition while helping re-establish the U.S. domestic supply chain for passenger rail equipment and meet Buy America goals.  The common design also makes it easier to train personnel, stock parts, and perform maintenance and repairs, which also reduces costs and increases equipment reliability.  

NARP is busy at work at our Spring Council meeting in Washington, D.C., so we'll comment more on this later in the week.  Still, it's quite exciting to see this kind of movement on strengthening a national rail fleet that is in dire need of renewal and expansion.