Trinity Metro and Stadler Sign Contract for TEXRail Vehicles in Fort Worth *Recent TEXRail Milestone Drives The T to Order Rail Cars and Move toward Construction
FORT WORTH (June 10, 2015) – Paul Ballard, president and CEO of Trinity Metro, signed a contract yesterday with Stadler Bussnang AG (Stadler) for the manufacture and delivery of eight (8) Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) rail vehicles for its TEX Rail commuter rail. The signing ceremony was held at Trinity Metro’s Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC) and attended by The T Board Chair Scott Mahaffey, members of The Trinity Metro board, Stadler representatives, along with other transit advocates.
“It is fitting that this milestone contract signing for TEXRail vehicles is taking place at the heart of our transportation system in downtown Fort Worth and will be one of the ten stations where these DMU vehicles will operate when TEXRail service begins in 2018,” Ballard said.
“In addition to serving as the central transfer center for Trinity Metro’s bus service, the ITC is also base to the Trinity Railway Express commuter rail and Greyhound. The ITC is also our region’s center for Amtrak service with four trains a day.
“We are pleased that Stadler is working toward adding a rail car manufacturing facility in our region, where the $106 million contract for TEXRail vehicles will be among the first to be built as Stadler’s commitment to meet Buy America manufacturing requirements,” Ballard added.
Stadler President, Chairman of the Board and Group CEO Peter Spuhler signed the $106 million contract with Ballard.
Trinity Metro began the procurement process for DMU vehicles in 2014 due to the three year lead time for developing specifications, production, delivery and operation training for staff.
At its April 2015 meeting, The Trinity Metro board approved an agreement with Stadler for a contract, contingent upon TEXRail’s authorization to enter into the Engineering phase that immediately precedes the start of construction. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) gave that approval on June 2 that now allows Trinity Metro to finalize a rail manufacturing contract.
The TEXRail commuter rail will run on a 27-mile corridor with ten stations from downtown Fort Worth, northeast across Tarrant County to Grapevine and into Terminal B at DFW Airport. It will have a projected average daily ridership of more than10,000 in its initial year of service.