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  • VRE looking to acquire Alstom Coradia 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

 #1570410  by KTHW
 


Looks like VRE is looking at purchasing the same Alstom Coradia Bi-Level stock that METRA is already procuring. I couldn't find anything about a timeline or additional information outside of this link in their most recent board meeting presentation.
Last edited by nomis on Sat May 15, 2021 3:03 pm, edited 1 time in total. Reason: Edited title for Alstom Coradia
 #1570457  by eolesen
 
Makes sense. The heavy lifting on the RFP has already been done by another agency with similar needs...
 #1570458  by MattW
 
Not the choice I personally would have made. Virginia is high level platform territory. Everything going beyond VRE territory is high level equipment, the only other low level only equipment are the Capitol Limited Superliners unless MARC still has some galleries hanging around. It's definitely conceivable that other platforms within VRE territory will go high level at some point and to have incompatible equipment won't be good.
 #1570474  by STrRedWolf
 
MattW wrote: Mon May 03, 2021 10:25 pm Not the choice I personally would have made. Virginia is high level platform territory. Everything going beyond VRE territory is high level equipment, the only other low level only equipment are the Capitol Limited Superliners unless MARC still has some galleries hanging around. It's definitely conceivable that other platforms within VRE territory will go high level at some point and to have incompatible equipment won't be good.
For just VRE, low level is good, and the new planned equipment would be a step up from the gallery cars. You don't have to suddenly build new station platforms.
 #1570796  by west point
 
VRE and us posters have no idea how many persons will be riding post C-19. However there are still some platforms not long enough. When a platform lengthens becomes a project bid the bid should include for future more length. For example platform X is 4 cars long. The RFP states it will be 3 additional car lengths. The bid should include future additions on that platform. It is most easy to do this when the 3 car extension is bid out.

The bid can have vaults at the end of the new platform for electric, water, storm sewers if necessary, communication devices and spare conduits for future items maybe not even invented yet. It could be that passenger demand would require more cars than are currently assigned to some train. That is a problem until the Long Bridge 2 additional tracks is complete and in use.
 #1570988  by davinp
 
west point wrote: Fri May 07, 2021 10:50 am VRE and us posters have no idea how many persons will be riding post C-19. However there are still some platforms not long enough. When a platform lengthens becomes a project bid the bid should include for future more length. For example platform X is 4 cars long. The RFP states it will be 3 additional car lengths. The bid should include future additions on that platform. It is most easy to do this when the 3 car extension is bid out.

The bid can have vaults at the end of the new platform for electric, water, storm sewers if necessary, communication devices and spare conduits for future items maybe not even invented yet. It could be that passenger demand would require more cars than are currently assigned to some train. That is a problem until the Long Bridge 2 additional tracks is complete and in use.
Most of the platforms can only fit 5 cars.
VRE does plan on expanding all their platforms to fit 8 cars
 #1571008  by davinp
 
The problem with the gallery cars is that is their is only one door in the center of the car to enter/exit.
While it a wide door, it can still take time to board and detrain if their is allot of people.
These are similar to the design of the bombardier cars that VRE had leased from Seattle
 #1571022  by STrRedWolf
 
davinp wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 1:12 pm The problem with the gallery cars is that is their is only one door in the center of the car to enter/exit.
While it a wide door, it can still take time to board and detrain if their is allot of people.
These are similar to the design of the bombardier cars that VRE had leased from Seattle
Not only that, the upper deck was split, so you had four stairways going to one exit. I remember looking at one during Amtrak days... and I was disgusted over the design.

If VRE tags along w/Metra, it'll have two doors to exit from, and more capacity since you have *actual dual levels*
 #1571436  by STrRedWolf
 
Hmmm... going off all publicly available media on the Coradia and the Bombardier Multiliner (MARC IV)... I'm going to guess 120 seats at most? Maybe 124? A lot of guesswork based on the Coradia Metra video and the Multiliner's spec sheet that MARC leaked.

But then, I don't know how they could fit 134 seats in those galley cars.
 #1571440  by Pensyfan19
 
STrRedWolf wrote: Sat May 15, 2021 3:47 pm Hmmm... going off all publicly available media on the Coradia and the Bombardier Multiliner (MARC IV)...
I was going to say. I couldn't find info of this until now. The video is unlisted and has an upload date of May 3rd and copies the animation for the Metra Procurement frame for frame with the exception of the livery and background. Makes me wonder if Alstom sold the same animation to VRE.
 #1571450  by KTHW
 
Per recent board minutes...Initial order will total 148 seats per car as they are all trailers. The only difference in seating will be the 4 additional cab cars covered in the order options.
 #1571479  by STrRedWolf
 
KTHW wrote: Sat May 15, 2021 6:29 pm Per recent board minutes...Initial order will total 148 seats per car as they are all trailers. The only difference in seating will be the 4 additional cab cars covered in the order options.
It's got to be a tight pitch then, similar to the VRE-detoured MARC IIIs. The seat pitch is tighter because it would of cost more to redrill the holes and take out seats. I remember riding in one of them one time before they took out the VRE logo on the seats and put in generic covers. There was some press coverage in the Baltimore Sun about it, and the remark was "Well, it's ether we spend more money we don't have for comfort or we get more seats for free."
 #1571499  by KTHW
 
Also, I’ll be very surprised if VRE doesn’t exercise all options on the order, since they have such a large service expansion planned. 170 cars with all 8 car train sets is just over 21 train sets, so I’d guess they plan to have 20 sets in service with the rest of the cars/locos reserved or under repair. VRE currently has 20 locos on their roster, so I’d also expect to see an order for a few more MPIs to give them enough expansion and reserve power for their upcoming plans.

I think with the expanded service facilities and more frequent schedules, that 20 sets would be enough to support their 2030 system expansion plans.
 #1571500  by eolesen
 

Pensyfan19 wrote:. Makes me wonder if Alstom sold the same animation to VRE.
That's not how it works... nobody gets paid for answering a RFP... as a manufacturer you spend the money to try and win the multi-million dollar deal, and yeah, they'll recycle 90% of what they prepare for other agencies. That's almost expected.

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