west point wrote: ↑Fri Sep 29, 2023 7:41 pm
Is it possible that the report of AX-2s leaking rain water true?
https://amtrakoig.gov/sites/default/fil ... y_oN8qx_VI
This report just came out that is a scathinf report on the program citing failures at both Amtrak and Alstom.
Basically Amtrak management dropped the ball by failing to implement lessons learned from the Viewliner II program. Alstom was allowed to begin building the train sets without a valid computer model, which the FRA is requiring. The auditors believe Alstom should have all the data they need as they built Acela 1 and have been maintaining those trains.
Page 14 includes this list "Safety‐related. For example, the vendor identified one FMI related to how water drains between passenger cars, causing components that hold the cars together to corrode, which poses safety concerns.
24 Functional. For example, the vendor previously reported that five windows on the trainsets shattered spontaneously.
25 As another example, the vendor identified leaks in the trainsets’ hydraulic tilting systems, a key performance
characteristic of these trainsets, as Figure 4 shows. "
The auditors are concerned with the fact thag schedule slippage is likely into late 2024 and early 2025, to the point that theyvare unsure if Acela 1 will be able to maintain the schedule. They are concerned about reputational hits to the brand as well as the fact that each departure on Acela 1 vs Acela 2 is leaving $15,000 on the table.
I think this report will kick some people in the ass and hopefully get something going to improve the process of getting the new sets delivered and accepted.