Want a good laff..


Kawasaki wins M-8 order

By: 01 September 2006
NEW YORK Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Connecticut State Bond Commission have selected Kawasaki Rail Car Inc to build a new fleet of dual-voltage EMUs for Metro North&#039;s New Haven Line.

Under the $522m base contract, Kawasaki will design and manufacture 210 M-8 cars, with an option for another 170 vehicles at a price to be negotiated. The total of 380 units would represent an expansion from the line&#039;s current fleet of 342 M-2 cars dating from the early 1970s, which are becoming increasingly unreliable.

Kawasaki&#039;s bid was $125m cheaper than rival Bombardier Transportation, which is supplying nearly 1200 M-7 electric cars to Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North. Connecticut DoT hopes to have the first M-8 cars delivered in late 2008 or early 2009. Connecticut is providing 65% of the capital cost while the MTA Metro North will contribute 35%, based on track length within each state.

In early August Metro North announced the award of contracts totalling $292m for the rehabilitation of its 100-year old Croton-Harmon workshops, including the installation of a new wheel lathe facility.