LACMTA CEO urges competive bidding for new LRT cars
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefLos Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chief Executive Arthur Leahy says LACMTA should open a competitive bidding process to acquire 100 new light rail transit vehicles for the city’s growing LRT system. The position comes in stark contrast to the indecision of the Boardof Directors which, for months, has shied from committing to a vendor for 100 new light rail transit cars to bolster the area’s LRT fleet.
The board had repeatedly weighed the merits of a contractoption with AnsaldoBreda, currently delivering 50 cars of a base order, which offered some attractive options, including the promise by the manufacturer to establish a production facility in the Los Angeles basin. But Leahy, acknowledging that AnsaldoBreda "has made every effort to be responsive" during negotiations, nonetheless believes AnsaldoBreda’s "commitments have not been satisfactory in all areas."
Labor unions reportedly favor the AnsaldoBreda offer, but LACMTA staff insist the company’s vehicles are too heavy and also are being delivered up to three years late. AnsaldoBreda officials defend the delays, citing change orders from MTA. LACMTA seeks the cars specifically for its Gold and Expo light rail lines, the latter of which now is under construction.
AnsaldoBreda SpA, based in metropolitan Bologna, Italy, maintains an assembly plant for rail cars in Pittsburg, Calif.
