After weeks of delay, M-1 Rail officials announced Monday they have selected a vendor to design and build six rail cars anticipated to cost $30 million.
Negotiations will begin soon on the design of the streetcars with Inekon Group from the Czech Republic. M-1 officials insist that the construction of the cars will be done with American-made products per the country’s “Buy American” requirements.
“M-1 Rail will negotiate the final terms and conditions with Inekon Group to build our streetcars,” said Paul Childs, chief operating officer of M-1 Rail, in a statement. “Inekon has a strong track record with other streetcar projects in Portland, Seattle and Washington, D.C., and owns a 40-percent share of U.S.-installed projects. While Inekon is headquartered in the Czech Republic, our requirements specify that it will be compliant with the U.S. government’s “Buy America” initiative.”
Construction on the $137 million, 3.3-mile line project began in July after years of delay and is expected to take two years. It will run from downtown to New Center and is the city’s biggest transportation project in decades.
M-1 Rail officials initially predicted a quicker selection for the rail car bidding process but did not offer an explanation as to why the selection did not happen at summer’s end. Inekon officials could not be reached for comment.
Childs said the assembly location hasn’t been chosen but that several spots in southeast Michigan are under review.
“It’s too early to talk about any sourcing or potential manufacturing locations, but we are committed to the principles of Buy America’s support of U.S.-based suppliers and the families who work for them,” he said.
The individual streetcars will be 73 feet long, 8.5 feet wide and 13 feet high, will weigh 76,000 pounds and will be powered by lithium-ion battery packs. This will allow the line to run “60 percent off-wire,” Childs said.
M-1 Rail officials contend the project will begin in the fall of 2016.
Source: The Detroit News