Metrolink irked with state over rail cars.It says state inaction may cause car shortage soon Metrolink executives say they are facing a serious passenger car shortage in a few months and they are becoming increasingly frustrated frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: with the state Transportation Department's failure to make any progress in getting them the cars they contracted for with MK Transit Group three years ago. In the not too distant future, said Metrolink Executive Director Richard Stanger, a situation could arise in which Metrolink cars will be filled to capacity and mass transit mass transit, public transportation systems designed to move large numbers of passengers. Types and Advantages Mass transit refers to municipal or regional public shared transportation, such as buses, streetcars, and ferries, open to all on a commuters will be forced to return to their autos, further clogging up freeways and polluting pol·lute tr.v. pol·lut·ed, pol·lut·ing, pol·lutes 1. To make unfit for or harmful to living things, especially by the addition of waste matter. See Synonyms at contaminate. 2. the air. "We are in a serious predicament now," said Metrolink spokesman Peter Hidalgo Hidalgo, state, Mexico Hidalgo (ēthäl`gō), state (1990 pop. 1,888,366), 8,058 sq mi (20,870 sq km), central Mexico. Pachuca de Soto is the capital. . "By the time we open the new line (between Riverside and Irvine) this fall, we will have a serious equipment shortage." Already, he said, Metrolink has stopped chartering cars to local movie companies that want to use them in films. This fall, he said, Metrolink will probably cut off its educational program through which local school children are introduced to the commuter mass transit system. Cars needed in October Last week, the Southland's regional commuter rail service was scheduled to unveil some new locomotives it just bought. But the excitement that should have accompanied the event was overshadowed by the depressing reality that locomotives are of no use without passenger cars to haul. Metrolink has stayed on schedule opening new stations recently, and is scheduled to open the Riverside/Irvine rail line this fall. Stanger says he will need new cars beginning in October, and the manufacturing of the cars he ordered in 1992 has yet to even begin. He said he is very upset about the lack of progress with the CalTrans contract for rail cars, which is now almost two years behind schedule and going nowhere. "Not enough is being done. There are solutions that aren't being pursued," complained Stanger. "CalTrans needs to push the contract, to get the surety (bonding) company involved. CalTrans is showing an interest, but they're not pushing it. "Before, we've sort of deferred to CalTrans and tried to work things out behind the scenes. It's not working. We need our cars." The 3-year-old, $142 million rail car contract between CalTrans and MK Transit Group, Morrison Knudsen Corp.'s Chicago-based transportation division, was for 88 cars. Of those, 24 were to go to the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, Regional Rail Authority, which operates Metrolink. MK has started delivering Amtrak Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corp., authorized to operate virtually all intercity passenger railroad routes in the United States. Amtrak was created by Congress in 1970 in response to more than two decades of continuous operating deficits by privately run "inner city" cars, which are used on long-distance lines linking urban centers, but not the commuter cars Commuter Cars is a Spokane, Washington based company founded by Rick Woodbury and his son Bryan. They are beginning production of the first of their line of ultra-narrow electric sports cars, the Tango T600. . The main problem appears to be that MK's Brazilian subcontractor One who takes a portion of a contract from the principal contractor or from another subcontractor. When an individual or a company is involved in a large-scale project, a contractor is often hired to see that the work is done. for commuter rail-car shells has gone broke. Brazilian revival fails "Over the past few months, they have tried to resuscitate re·sus·ci·tate v. To restore consciousness, vigor, or life to. the Brazilian company, and they've had no success. They tried to find a European manufacturer, but they were too expensive, and the time frame was way out there," said Stanger. "CalTrans doesn't want to continue the contract, and MK doesn't want to build these cars. We feel there are two ways to resolve this." Stanger's solutions are: No. 1, MK could subcontract sub·con·tract n. A contract that assigns some of the obligations of a prior contract to another party. intr. & tr.v. sub·con·tract·ed, sub·con·tract·ing, sub·con·tracts with Bombardier Corp., which built Metrolink's existing fleet, or No. 2, the contract could be split in half, leaving MK with only the Amtrak portion. Metrolink has an option on an old contract with Bombardier that would allow the SCRRA SCRRA Southern California Regional Rail Authority (metrolink) to buy 24 more cars at an already agreed-upon price without going to bid again, said Stanger. But CalTrans spokesman Jim Drago said things are not that simple. "We've been told by MK that their intent is to complete the contract," said Drago. "We don't want to jeopardize the state's position in terms of breach of contract. MK has not broken the contract." Drago said CalTrans is meeting with lawyers about the state's options, but it really is up to MK to "resolve" its subcontractor problems. MK executives could not be reached for comment. Stanger said even if Metrolink were allowed to contract with Bombardier today, it would take the company 15 months to start delivering cars. He said that from the fall of 1995 to the summer of 1996, the SCRRA could possibly borrow a few cars from the Peninsula Commuter Service in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden and from the under-production new Amtrak fleet, although those cars are "not designed for quick on and off" and carry fewer passengers. "But if we have to go two years, I'm not sure where we would get all the cars we need," Stanger said. |
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