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  • WMATA 8000 Series Rail Cars

  • Discussion related to DC area passenger rail services from Northern Virginia to Baltimore, MD. Includes Light Rail and Baltimore Subway.
Discussion related to DC area passenger rail services from Northern Virginia to Baltimore, MD. Includes Light Rail and Baltimore Subway.

Moderators: mtuandrew, therock, Robert Paniagua

 #1494269  by davinp
 
frequentflyer wrote:How are the 7K and 8K cars improved over the "reliable" 6K model. Other than aesthetics.
Good question. As you know, the 7K and 8K are more technically advanced then the 6K. So, if the 6K gets rehabilitated they would have to make them compatible with the 7K/8K cars. New technology is not always reliable when it first comes out.

Alstrom, a Japanese company built 6K and rehab the 2K/3K. We know Japanese cars are more reliable then other countries
 #1494330  by YOLO
 
davinp wrote:Alstrom, a Japanese company built 6K and rehab the 2K/3K. We know Japanese cars are more reliable then other countries
Alstom is a French company
 #1494359  by mtuandrew
 
I had a Toyota once that had a crap electrical system, so maybe that isn’t such a great comparison. (To say nothing of the Nippon Sharyo bilevel kerfuffle.)

Mostly the CAF 5k cars were lemons, along with whoever built the 4K cars.
 #1494672  by Angry Homer
 
mtuandrew wrote:I had a Toyota once that had a crap electrical system, so maybe that isn’t such a great comparison. (To say nothing of the Nippon Sharyo bilevel kerfuffle.)

Mostly the CAF 5k cars were lemons, along with whoever built the 4K cars.
Breda made them, same as the 2/3Ks. Most problems can be narrowed down to:
  • DC chopper propulsion and analog doors in a '90s built railcar.
  • No mid life rehab.
 #1496446  by davinp
 
Sand Box John wrote:The 4ks were never mid life rehabilitated.
Metro didn't rehab the 4Ks because they ran out of money. The cars were already outdated when they bought them.
If Metro had rehab them and better maintained them, they would have been more reliable.
The last straw was when they discovered that they could possibly speed up and they did not have the tools to test it as recommended by the manufacturer.
Now that the 4Ks are 27 years old, it doesn't make sense to spend money on it especially since they only had 100 of them and have bought new railcars.
 #1505191  by YOLO
 
It looks like the only companies bidding on this contract are CRRC, Rotem, and Alstom. Kawasaki wants nothing to do with WMATA anymore so I don't think we'll see them bid on anything WMATA related ever. Would like to see Alstom win this contract IMO
 #1505387  by tommyboy6181
 
The other thing to remember is the Kawasaki plant is going to be at or near capacity with the NYCT R211 contracts over the next 5-10 years, so it may be an additional reason they may not have bid on the project. CRRC wants to get WMATA any way possible so that's no surprise. Also, CRRC has and does partner with Bombardier and Kawasaki on different projects, so other manufacturers could be involved in that type of capacity. However, CRRC recently lost to Stadler in the MARTA railcar replacement project. I'm not sure how CRRC quality will be here in the states just yet, but they do seem to do pretty well on most projects overseas.

Rotem shut down their Philadelphia plant and was known for many issues on the Silverliner V project that came out of there. If they were to get the project, they'd have to open a new plant, train an entire workforce and I think we see the same issue that came up on the CAF cars that are now retired.

My choice between CRRC, Rotem and Alstom- hands down it's Alstom.
 #1506294  by YOLO
 
Looks like the vendor list so far is:

Alstom
Bombardier
Siemens
Rotem

Removed CRRC from the list bc there is pending legislation to revoke PRIIA funding if Metro picks CRRC so that won't happen.
 #1506443  by Sand Box John
 
"YOLO"
Looks like the vendor list so far is:

Alstom
Bombardier
Siemens
Rotem

Removed CRRC from the list bc there is pending legislation to revoke PRIIA funding if Metro picks CRRC so that won't happen.


What is the source of your "vendor list"? I have read no news reports or press release announcing what vendors submitted responses to WMATA's request for proposal.
 #1506451  by YOLO
 
Twitter posts mentioned Bombardier and Siemens but I can't find any concrete proof. So I guess remove them from the list until we hear otherwise.

Alstom, CRRC, and Rotem is confirmed via WaPo articles. Out of those 3 I would like Alstom hands down.
 #1506915  by daybeers
 
mtuandrew wrote:I would not mind one bit if Alstom delivered an open-gangway married-quad version of the 6k. I’m much more partial to them than to the 7ks
This article says the 8ks will be an incremental upgrade to the 7ks.
 #1531037  by tommyboy6181
 
CRRC is officially out of the running for bidding on anything for the Washington Metro.

Under a compromise agreement, CRRC can remain in the US and bid on projects with their existing clients as they are grandfathered in the legislation. Also, CRRC can bid on any project not federally funded. For federally funded projects, they can bid on projects with any other transit agency EXCEPT the Washington system for 2 years.

Story link: https://neal.house.gov/in-the-news/crrc ... ar-company
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