Subscribe to RSSFirst Formal Step For New Trains
KiwiRail has today called for Expressions of Interest from potential suppliers for Auckland’s new electric commuter trains.
The call is the first formal step in the process of selecting the rolling stock supplier who will deliver and maintain Auckland’s new electric trains.
KiwiRail chief executive Jim Quinn, repeated what he said last week that KiwiRail would not itself be one of the bidders. But he added that the document does allow the possibility for some local content.
“We expect this to attract the attention of international manufacturers, and have highlighted the importance of ensuring these units fit our local operating environment by incorporating local content where it is cost effective and adds value to the project.”
Imagine the time we zap around the city at night on fast electric trains
The EOI document is being advertised both in New Zealand and internationally, and will enable the KiwiRail procurement team to identify a short list of suppliers with which to proceed to the next step in the tendering process.
A supplier will be identified and the final contract signed in the first half of 2011.
The document proposes a fleet of 38 EMUs with the first units required by 2013.
7 Comments
A fleet if 38? Are you sure because that’s a huge drop from the original 114 odd that was planned and for which tenders had already been called for back before National canned the petrol tax. If this is true then it woud suggest National has massively cut the number of units.
@rtc see http://www.aktnz.co.nz/2010/05/10/new-trains-cbd-loop-ready/
38 three car trains, rather than ARTA’s original plan of 140 cars in total. 38* 3 is 114 so there has been a cut, but each carriage will be 24m long instead of 20m under ARTA’s original plan. So the capacity difference is not so great.
Jon, share your copy of the EOI!!!!!!
@jarbury, no need to shout!
http://www.aktnz.co.nz/2010/05/17/new-trains-unresolved-issues/
I would have preferred smaller & more units. Greater flexibility.
Does the document specify when the LAST units have to be delivered?
@Jon - Jarbury is just really keen
@ingolfson Only 2013 one assumes for all.
I heard somewhere that longer cars cant go around sharp corners as quickly… Is this true, or just my imagination? I’m thinking specifically about the sharp curve going into Britomart from Newmarket (around Vector), or is this because of one of the overpasses there having a really low speed restriction…
Whatever the reason is, are trains going to go really slow around that curve for the foreseeable future? I’m sure it adds a minute or so to the travel time when you take into account that they decelerate from about mainline steam for it… not to mention the image the nearby motorists get from trains that go 20km/h.