Thursday midday rail news:
Valley Metro orders 14 new Siemens light rail vehicles
Phoenix-area transit agency Valley Metro has ordered 14 S700 light rail vehicles from Siemens Mobility to join 11 of the trainsets already in service. The equipment, to be built in Sacramento, Calif., will help accommodate the needs of an expanding system, and features heavy-duty air condition able to handle a climate with temperatures of up to 120 degrees. “Additional light rail fleet supports our mission of connecting communities, especially as we close in on the 2024 completion date of South Central Extension/Downtown Hub,” Scott Smith, Valley Metro CEO, said in a press release.
Hitachi receives contract to upgrade BART train control system
Hitachi Rail USA has been awarded a $798 million contract to upgrade Bay Area Rapid Transit to the digital train control technology Communications-Based Train Control, which will increase system capacity by allowing trains to operate at more closely spaced intervals and tighter schedules. It will replace a control system that is more than 48 years old and allow BART to move up to 30,000 Transbay passengers per hour in peak periods. Hitachi also received an $8.6 million contract for up to 20 years of support service for the system. The contract comes after BART received a $1.2 billion grant from the Federal Transit Administration to support its project to increase Transbay capacity [see “Digest: San Diego transit agency seeks STB ruling …,” Sept. 15, 2020].
Canadian company indicates interest in taking over Ontario shortline from G&W
Diesel Electric Services, a Sudbury, Ontario, rail services firm, is telling Canadian government officials it’s ready to take over if Genesee & Wyoming pulls the plug on operations of the Huron Central Railway. Saying it needs government support to continue operating the line between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury, G&W has said it will otherwise shut down the operation by the end of this year [see “Digest: Maryland proposes cuts …,” Sept. 2, 2020]. Northern Ontario Business reports Diesel Electric Services, which operates a tranlsoad facility in Sudbury and a shop that repairs locomotives for Canadian National, says it has 18 locomotives and available crew members to take over the operation. Milad Mansour, president of Diesel Electric parent Milman Industries, told the paper he believes the line could be successful without government subsidies by attracting more business along the route.
