ON FEBRUARY 4 Italian rolling stock supplier Breda Costruzione Ferroviarie announced that it had won its largest ever international contract, to supply rolling stock for the Atlanta metro. The US$257m deal brokered by its US arm Breda Transportation Inc covers the provision of 100 new vehicles and the supply and installation of new propulsion and auxiliary equipment on 120 of Marta’s 240 existing cars.
To be derived from the cars supplied by Breda to Washington DC and Los Angeles, the new vehicles will have stainless steel bodyshells. Coupled in married pairs, they will have a top speed of 115 km/h to suit the long runs between outer-suburban stations on the growing Marta network. The cars will be fully air-conditioned, and equipped with Marta’s standard automatic train control system. The first cars are due for delivery by December 1999, and the last in August 2002.
- San Francisco Municipal Railway has notified potential bidders that it is looking to buy 59 more AC-motored LRVs ’compatible in all respects’ with the 77 Breda cars now being delivered, including dimensions, dynamic envelope, performance, maintenance requirements and multiple-working. Reflecting teething problems with the Breda cars, Muni stressed that ’emphasis will be placed on minimising airborne noise and ground-borne vibration.’ Delivery must begin within 12 months of contract award. The order will allow the retirement of Muni’s 93 remaining Boeing LRVs. o
