PAT news

[John Swindler]

Unfortunately, Fred, we must never forget that all politics are local.

Kind of concluded years ago that the state made a convenient "whipping boy" 
whenever PAT - or any transit authority - wanted to cover-up their problems 
by blaming it on not having enough of your tax dollars.  And to stray even 
further, also vividly remember a comment by chairman of London Transport at 
a national transit conference in Pgh. around 1975 that governments 
(Allegheny County/PennDOT) should tell the transport authorities (PAT) how 
much tax revenue will be available, and it is then PAT's responsibility to 
tailor the service to live within its means.  (Best example is Birmingham 
about 15 years ago where transit management had attitude they could do as 
they please, ran out of money, and had to shut down for 3-4 months until 
start of next fiscal year.)  So, politics being local, it is always easier 
to blame some entity outside the regional area - like Siemens - for 
equipment problems or, more likely, lack of maintenance.

Anyway, to migrate back towards topic, also recall visit to South Hills 
Village Shop on a weekday, and noting how spacious - yet empty and quiet it 
was.  Oh, there were some PCC and LRV cars in the shop, but never saw any 
employees actually working on anything.  There were a couple wandering 
about, but no one actually working with any machinery nor around any of the 
cars.  This was mid-1980s.  (Bet Homewood wasn't like that)

So as for parts stock for new cars?  Might be better.  Also, older cars are 
ready for mid-life overhaul, so Siemens cars may receive similar parts.  
Will have to check as $1.4 million per 55 LRV seems quite high - should 
replace a lot parts - or maybe provide a lot of spare parts.  That would be 
a smart move on PAT's part. (no pun intended)

As for the "alleged" gear box problems with the Siemens cars, that has 
always sounded very suspicious.  Being a cynic makes one wonder what 
preventive maintenance was done in Sacramento, San Diego, Edmonton, 
Frankfurt, Calgary, St. Louis, Denver, ---  shall we go on???  And if you 
want to then "blame" it on Pittsburgh's terrain, well, who wrote the 
specs???  Maybe it was just cheaper to let the cars sit.

Finally, note newspaper article comment about federal-state-local shares.  
This contract will be paid with 3 1/3 cent dollars. (all politics are local) 
  And that is why overhaul and extra parts are included.  If parts/overhaul 
paid out of operating funds, then would be 25 cent dollars, or cost to 
Allegheny County taxpayers would be about seven times more expensive.  
That's a change from Pittsburgh Railways days which I suspect most never 
consider.

John





>From: "Fred W. Schneider III" <fschnei at supernet.com>
>Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>Subject: Re: PAT news
>Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2000 22:47:09 -0400
>
>Do you think, John, that the parts stocks in Pittsburgh will be any better 
>with the new cars than the old, or will it still be convenient to blame the 
>suppliers for all  woes you suffer in not having parts last month that you 
>forgot to order until next month?  Isn't it nice that new cars come with 
>warranties?  Don't you think it would be even better, for a company with a 
>proven inability to keep cars running, to buy a 50 year maintenance 
>contract?  Maybe even Sears could figure out how to do it.
>
>I've always been amazed at the amount of trouble PAT had with that was 
>never experienced in Frankfurt/Main, San Diego, Edmonton, or Calgary with 
>their virtually identical U2 cars, or a host of other cities that used 
>other Duewag models having the same monomotor propulsion system.
>
>John Swindler wrote:
>
> > Update on Pittsburgh, courtesy HHG for lead.
> >
> > JS
> >
> > Port Authority to get 28 new light-rail cars
> > Saturday, August 05, 2000
> > By Joe Grata, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
> >
> > After two years of studying proposals, the Port Authority plans to award 
>a $151.3 million contract to purchase 28 new light-rail vehicles and 
>overhaul the existing 55 models built in the early 1980s.
> >
> > The authority's engineering-construction committee yesterday recommended 
>the agreement with Spain-based Construcciones Y Auxiliar De Ferrocarriles 
>and CAF USA Inc., its United States affiliate.
> >
> > Adtranz, a West Mifflin-based manufacturer of people movers and mass 
>transit systems owned by DaimlerChrysler, will build the propulsion and 
>control systems, a subcontract worth an estimated $45 million. Adtranz is 
>to produce the systems locally, although no decision has been made yet as 
>to whether it may add facilities in the Mon Valley in order to do so.
> >
> > To comply with federal law requiring that at least 50 percent of the 
>value of government-subsidized contracts adhere to "Buy America" 
>provisions, CAF will assemble the vehicles in the United States -- 
>tentatively at either CAF facilities in Elmira, N.Y., or Hunt Valley, Md.
> >
> > The CAF-Adtranz contract will be the single largest contract awarded in 
>the authority's 36-year history.
> >
> > An option in the contract gives the Port Authority 20 months to decide 
>whether to buy up to 15 additional light-rail vehicles for $2.3 million 
>apiece, trolleys that would be needed if the authority expands the system 
>to the North Shore and David L. Lawrence Convention Center as planned.
> >
> > The recommendation by the authority's engineer-construction committee 
>means its full board is likely to formalize the contract at its regular 
>meeting next week.
> >
> > The decision means more than 25,000 daily T riders should see delivery 
>of the first all-new LRV within two years, and almost totally rebuilt 
>existing cars even earlier. The contract calls for all production work to 
>be finished in four years.
> >
> > The present LRVs were purchased from a Germany-based consortium,
> > Siemens-Duewag, but they were assembled in Blawnox.
> >
> > Siemens was the only other transit vehicle manufacturer to submit a 
>proposal for the authority's latest purchase of LRVs. CAF-Adtranz won out 
>after dozens of meetings and evaluations that included qualifications, 
>technical reviews, delivery schedules and price negotiations.
> >
> > Authority Chief Executive Officer Paul Skoutelas said two other big 
>transit vehicle manufacturers, one in Japan and another in Italy, were 
>reluctant to participate in the authority's contract because they're 
>already operating at capacity with new LRV orders and didn't want to get 
>involved with the overhaul aspect of old LRVs.
> >
> > "It was an intense process, but we think we're getting the best rail car 
>and overhaul that are possible," said Henry Nutbrown, the authority's 
>director of engineer-construction. "By choosing the same companies, we'll 
>essentially end up with one fleet" with the same kind of mechanical and 
>electronic components.
> >
> > Eighty percent of the $151.3 million contract will be paid by the 
>Federal Transit Administration. The balance will come from the state (16 
>2/3 percent) and county (3 1/3 percent).
> >
> > Nutbrown said prices compare favorably with other recent LRV purchases 
>nationally. Cost of each new car will be about $2.3 million, while cost of 
>overhauling the 55 existing LRVs is about $1.4 million each. The contract 
>will include some spare parts and technical support.
> >
> > The 55 LRVs in  service since the Downtown subway opened in 1984 have 
>suffered numerous mechanical problems, especially with gearboxes and 
>single-axle wheel drives, which only recently have been corrected to the 
>point that the LRVS have been operating with reliability.
> >
> > The first two LRVs are to be taken out of service to begin the overhaul 
>program about one month from now. No more than five LRVs are to be taken 
>out of service at a time, however.
> >
> > Although DaimlerChrysler is in talks about selling Adtranz to Canada's 
>Bombardier Inc., which specializes in transit vehicles and aerospace, 
>Skoutelas said a deal wouldn't affect the authority's contract. "If it 
>happens, I see it creating a stronger [Adtranz] organization locally," he 
>said.
> >
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