Passenger Trains > MBTA Locomotive Order

MBTA's press release says the MassDOT Board of Directors approved a contract with Motive Power Inc. to provide 20 new locomotives at a cost not to exceed $114.63 million. An interesting tidbit is that the P&W Diesel Shop in Worcester will perform predelivery inspection and establish a parts inventory and conduct warranty repairs for the MPI units.
What are the newest units in MBTA's present fleet and what are the oldest? How do they compare in age with the oldest EMDs in the fleets of NJ Transit, MARC and VRE?

Andy

Additional info obtained from the MBTA indicates the MPI units will be HSP-46AC's, 4,650 HP units with GE-supplied EVO-12 prime movers. MPI will act as the prime contractor for the supply of the locomotives while GE will be the major component supplier to MPI.
I believe the HSP-46AC is a first for North America.

Andy

I don't doubt the authenticity of your info, Andy, but as a guy who spent the last eight years of his career in contract oversight (not as a lawyer, just a guy who could read English in crappy contracts), I question the use of the words "not to exceed" in ANY contract. What is the contractor's incentive to keep the amount below $114M, if any?

If there's no such incentive, expect the amount to go up.