From
http://www.dartnet.org/connect/boardage ... agenda.pdf
Looks like DART Board Members in a recent Rail Corridor Ad Hoc Negotiation Committee Meeting on 03.08.2010 thinks the FRA may release a report later this month. Here's the relevant text from the meeting:
Mr. Tim McKay, Senior Vice President of Rail Program and Development, spoke to the Committee concerning the current known details of the Regional Rail Vehicle.
Mr. McKay stated Stadler (a rail car manufacturer) has developed and is manufacturing a "couple" of different vehicles. Specifically, Mr. McKay stated he was referring to the Stadlers' "GTW" line of vehicles, those already owned by Austin's CapMetro and contracted by DCTA (Denton County Transit Authority).
Mr. McKay continued that Mr. Wayne Friesner, Vice President of Commuter Rail, was absent from the proceedings due to an engagement with the FRA (Federal Rail Administration) where the differences between Europe's CEM (Crash Energy Management) criteria and the FRA's butt strength criteria would be compared and documented.
The hoped for end result of these meetings with the FRA, Mr. McKay said, would be a formal vehicle report which would spell out a "path to compliance" to all interested parties.
Mr. McKay stated that DART hoped to receive the vehicle report by the end of March and that, once received, the criteria spelled out by the FRA would be merged into a performance based specification, already underway, that incorporates 12-14 vehicle attributes that are based on Stadler's GTW vehicle and criteria outlined in the DART Board's Resolution No. 080114 (on file with the Office of Board Support).
So the group's understanding was clear, Chair Noah confirmed that the type of vehicle under discussion comprehends the City of Dallas's position with regard to the futuristic railcar. Councilperson Natinsky thanked Chair Noah for making the distinction and acknowledged that they were, in fact, discussing a LRNT (Light Rail New Technology) vehicle.
Mr. Carlson asked if the Stadler car's wide turning radius, which at one point had all but eliminated the Stadler car as a contender for this project, had been rectified. Mr. McKay replied there are several engineering challenges associated with designing a viable Stadler car, but DART is working with Stadler on the trunk design to restructure the GTW's turning radius. Mr. McKay added that the lack of sharp turns on the Cotton Belt would actually be a boon. Mr. Carlson countered that he was under the impression that the evolving LRNT was supposed to cross all track barriers (i.e.; commuter, freight, and light-rail) and prevent the creation of a "Cotton Belt Only" vehicle. Mr. Gary Thomas, PresidentlExecutive Director, interjected that, initially, the LRNT would be used for regional rail and, at some undetermined time in the far future, the LRNT would probably evolve into the kind vehicle that could travel on all sorts of rail tracks.
Mr. Thomas said limiting the LRNT to Regional Rail performance, at least in the near term, would also provide everyone more time to work out other problems, such as the trunk design (connected to turning radius) and how the LRNT, or any diesel powered vehicle, could safely travel through tunnels.
Mr. McKay went on to summarize that if the FRA vehicle report is received as expected, the agency planned on incorporating the FRA report into the vehicles' specifications along with the vehicle attributes. The next step, he said, would be to launch an industry review with at least four car manufacturers who have been, and will continue to be, intensely interested with the FRA's movements: Stadler, Siemens, Bombardier, and Kinkisharyo. Mr. McKay hastened to assure the Committee that the industry review would not be limited to these companies.
Looks like FRA compliance issues might soon be history for new designs railcars. I wrote might, we still must wait on the FRA report..
