CT issued a FRI for delivery of single level full ADA cars for immediate use evidently on the New Haven - Springfield route.
https://www.rtands.com/eoi-rfp-rfq/connecticut-department-of-transportation/
Note bids due by Feb 28 with delivery by Apr 30. Could it be a nuge at Amtrak to get more cars on the route ? Or is it for longer CT DOT trains ?
Bet they wish they still had the Constitution-Liners!
I’m glad to see that not only is the demand high, but near-immediate as well.
If what I’ve read in “Railpace” is true CT DOT’s trains are wildly successful, hence the search for more passenger cars. Demand is indeed high.
Here is more from CT.
What ever happened to the build the passenger car from the ground up skills that the Milwaukee Road had? Is rail passenger car engineering really that difficult that it is a huge barrier of entry for a start up firm? How did the Milwaukee Road come to possess the skill and innovate with it so successfully? Seems to me that the Milwaukee jumped from freight car to passenger car production fairly seamlessly without a lot of “Oops!” models or car reliability issues.
These spec’s would seem to eliminate most “Heritage” equipment. Wide door width and handicap restrooms were not routine back then.
Maybe I am wrong but this specification certainly appears to match an Amfleet ? Could it be this is a way to get more cars for Amtrak trains ? Or it might be for another whole Amtrak train set ?
Whatever happened to running M-8s on the Shore Line East service to free up conventional stock for the Hartford-Springfield service?
Possibly MN needs all post-M2 cars (which always did have comfort issues despite imrprovement over “Washboards”) for GCT - Samford and GCT - New Haven rush-hour service? I think I’ve read the last M2 car has been retired.