Septa Silverliner IV's

Lucius Kwok wrote:SEPTA has budgeted $750 million for the replacement of the Silverliner IV sometime in 2010-2017. I'm aware that this is the part of the capital budget where they put projects like the Newtown branch service restoration, but it's in there.

To clarify for folks, that is separate from the Silverliner V procurement now underway. It would presumably be a Silverliner VI, given SEPTA's ongoing predilection for MUs.

oaksmodelrr wrote:... first go around was litigated into oblivion by the losers....

That's a bit pejorative. Kawasaki had pretty good reason to go to court--SEPTA changed the rules in the middle of the game, a move that appeared tailor-made for the new bidder who ended up winning the contract from Kawasaki.

Matthew Mitchell wrote:

benltrain wrote:

oaksmodelrr wrote:If all goes well (which never happens) the first cars should be rolling by 2010.

2010, i doubt it. the original ads said "fall 06"

2010 is about right. Delivery of the pilot cars is called for 30 months from Notice to Proceed, and delivery of the first production cars would be 7-8 months later. Add time for SEPTA to negotiate a final contract with the bidder that they chose based on the RFP, and that's about 3 1/2 years. So if all goes well, production deliveries would start in late 2009.

i meant, i doubt there won't be another delay. it's SEPTA, after all

To get this thred back on th IVs, does any one know when the proplushon (sorry I can't spell) upgrades will be complete?

At this point, given the delays in getting the procurement moving, would it be worth just going ahead and having the S-Vs just replace the entire fleet, like what happened when LIRR bought the M1s?

At minimum, if the S-V process takes long enough, the S-IV replacements might just be more V's (assuming they work well on the first go-around).

Kinda sad though when one procurement last so long it almost runs into the next one (watching some of that here in my own backyard).

NJ Transit's Comet V car order began in 1999 and the last car was delivered in 2005. Meanwhile, their multi-level car order started around 2003 and they just received their first prototype car in 2005, and I guess it'll be 2009 before the last car is delivered. So NJT has overlapping car orders.

What SEPTA should be doing is having an option for an additional 100 or 200 cars on the upcoming Silverliner V contract for 104 cars. NJT's multi-level car order is a total of 231 cars including an option for additional cars that was exercised.