Bombardier Lands NJ Transit Dual-Power Locomotive Contract

Source: Railway Age

After a long development process, New Jersey Transit is expected to award a $325.42 million contract ($309.92 million plus 5% for contingencies) to Bombardier Transportation for 26 dual-power (diesel/a.c. catenary, also known as "electric-diesel") locomotives at its July 9 board meeting. The contract includes spare parts and is "subject to the availability of funds," according to NJT's board agenda. The new-technology locomotives fall under NJT's $1.29 billion Fiscal Year 2009 capital program. They will replace the oldest units in the agency's fleet, some of which are 40 years old. The procurement is part of NJT’s ongoing rolling stock modernization program, which also includes 326 Bombardier MultiLevel commuter railcars, 27 Bombardier ALP-46 electric locomotives, 110 electric multiple-units, and 1,365 new buses. "The purchase of dual-powered locomotives is a cost-effective solution for operating in both electrified and non-electrified territory," NJT's board agenda item states. "Dual-powered locomotives will provide the flexibility to operate throughout the entire system as needed" and "will also allow NJT to develop operational experience with dual-power capability in anticipation of the Access to the Region's Core project (Trans-Hudson Express Tunnel), which is designed to provide one-seat, direct rail service to New York City." Traditional dual-mode (diesel/third-rail-electric) propulsion has been around for quite some time in North America, but dual-power rolling stock that combines a.c. catenary with diesel propulsion has, until now, never been seriously attempted here. For at least the past two years, NJT and Montreal's AMT (Agence Metropolitaine de Transport) have been collaborating on workable, cost-effective dual-power equipment to provide passengers with one-seat rides between electrified and non-electrified territory. NJT already operates services where a transfer is required; AMT plans to construct new lines that feed into an existing electrified line. STV, Inc. provided engineering assistance to NJT and AMT on the dual-power locomotives. These locomotives, which will cost about $12 million each, are designed to satisfy several of NJT's operating constraints. Among these are Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor tunnel clearances (the locked-down-pantograph height in the Hudson River tunnels is 14 feet 7 inches), carbody space (no more than 75 feet long), noise levels, EPA emissions compliance (Tier II, with Tier III coming up in 2010), performance, and—most problematic—weight. Amtrak's maximum locomotive weight on the Northeast Corridor is 288,000 pounds gross rail load for speeds above 79 mph. The challenge has been to fit a diesel power plant and electrical transformer into one carbody within those parameters. How do you distribute weight on four axles (NJT's preference), provide good adhesion on grades, and not be off the charts on curving forces? One way is to reduce unsprung mass by suspending the traction motors on the trucks, not the axles (this is done with the Alstom Transport PL42AC diesel and Bombardier ALP46 electric). As for the diesel engine, a traditional 16- or 12-cylinder low-speed (900 rpm) diesel is too heavy. A high-speed (1,800 rpm) diesel is much lighter yet just as powerful, but its components will have a much higher wear rate. The solution is utilizing not one but two engine/generator sets, with computerized engine management that equalizes engine service hours. AMT expects to order as many as 20 dual-power locomotives in its five-year capital plan. This agency has the same operating constraints as NJT, namely, the three-mile-long tunnel on the 25Kv-electrified Deux Montagnes Line, which serves Montreal's Central Station. AMT plans to connect the non-electrified Blainville Line to the Deux Montagnes Line just outside the tunnel, and construct the new, non-electrified Repentigny-Mascouche Line, which will feed into the Deux Montages at Mont-Royal.

New Flyer Receives Orders for Up to 1,234 Buses

Source: METRO

New Flyer Industries Inc., the leading manufacturer of heavy-duty transit vehicles in Canada and the United States, announced today that it has received orders over the last three months for up to 1,234 buses (1,567 equivalent production units or "EUs") for a combined value of over US $706 million. Of these orders, 1,108 buses (1,406 EUs) are new orders and 126 (161 EUs) are exercised options. When combined with orders reported in a March press release, New Flyer has announced a total of 2,487 bus orders (3,116 EUs) valued at over US $1.3 billion in 2008. These orders are for a variety of vehicle configurations, including 35-, 40- and 60-foot buses with clean diesel, electric trolley, hybrid, and compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion systems. These orders represent virtually every propulsion system available on the market today. Tri-Met in Portland, OR has ordered 40 40-foot clean diesel buses with options for 160 additional buses. TransLink in Vancouver, BC has ordered 24 60-foot electric trolley buses (48 EUs) and exercised options for 10 60-foot electric trolley buses (20 EUs). Valley Metro in Phoenix, AZ has ordered a total of up to 379 buses (firm and options), including 40' and 60' vehicles across diesel, CNG and LNG fuel types (385 EUs). The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Board of Directors in Cleveland, OH has approved additional options for 20 60-foot hybrid buses (40 EUs). Other new contracts and options total 593 buses (822 EUs). New Flyer's backlog as of the end of May 2008 was 8,233 EUs, which represents an increase of 19% in comparison to the 6,916 EUs in backlog at January 1, 2008. The value of the order backlog as of the end of May 2008 of US $3.45 billion has increased by 23% compared to the US $2.8 billion backlog at the start of 2008. The portion of firm orders included in the backlog has increased to US $1.3 billion as of the end of May 2008 from US $1.2 billion at January 1, 2008.

New York MTA Marks Milestone for ESA Tunnel Work

Source: Railway Age

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the first of two 200-ton tunnel boring machines had completed its tunneling under Manhattan, a prerequisite for channeling Long Island Rail Road service to Grand Central Terminal. The machine gouged out more than one mile of tunnel stretching from 63rd Street and Second Avenue, on Manhattan's East Side, to a location underneath Grand Central. That work links to an existing, unused tunnel stretching under the East River to Sunnyside Yard in Queens and LIRR operations. A second machine, boring a parallel tunnel, is expected to complete its work this summer. "It is terrific that the progress on the East Side Access project is moving forward steadily," said MTA Executive Director Elliot G. Sander. "We look forward to inaugurating Long Island Rail Road service at Grand Central Terminala dream many have shared for generations." Additional work will begin on what will become a cavern underneath Park Avenue between 49th and 51st Streets that will connect the newly built tunnel with parallel tunnels which will allow the future Long Island Rail Road flexibility in accessing all eight tracks in the new station under Grand Central. MTA Capital Construction is overseeing the operation in conjunction with a private joint-venture team comprised of Dragados, S.A. and Judlau Contracting. The agency anticipates that the new route will serve 160,000 LIRR customers per day. LIRR will continue to serve its current Manhattan terminus, Penn Station, once East Side Access is completed.

Bombardier Poised to Dominate Ontario LRT Market

Source: Railway Age

Montreal-based Bombardier Inc. and its subsidiary, Bombardier Transportation, already is a prominent presence within its Canadian home turf, but observers say that dominance may grow still stronger since Siemens AG withdrew from bidding on a $1.2 billion order for 204 streetcars sought by the Toronto Transit Commission. But the impact of Siemens' apparent retreat extends beyond Canada's largest city. Other cities in Ontario province, including Hamilton, Mississauga, and Kitchener-Waterloo, are seriously weighing establishment of light rail and/or streetcar operations, providing fertile marketing territory for Bombardier, as well as potential economies of scale from any combination of Ontario municipalities placing combined orders for Bombardier LRT equipment. Bombardier's primary light rail manufacturing facility is in Thunder Bay, Ontario, giving the company even more political leverage within the province, which holds roughly 33% of the nation's population.