Passenger Trains > FRA waives Buy America rules on HSR prototypes

FRA waives Buy America rules on high speed train prototypes
Railway Gazette
04 Dec 2014

> USA: The Federal Railroad Administration has approved a waiver on Buy
> America procurement rules covering the supply of up to four high
> speed trainsets for the US market.
>
> The letter dated November 24 is a response to requests from both
> Amtrak and the California High Speed Rail Authority, who are each
> seeking to procure two pre-series trains for testing at speeds of at
> least 255 km/h on the Northeast Corridor and California’s nascent
> high speed line in the Central Valley.
>
> Buy America rules are intended to ensure that federally-funded
> railway vehicles and equipment contain a high proportion of
> locally-produced components and that final assembly and commissioning
> is undertaken in the USA. But for the procurement of prototypes, FRA
> does not believe that it is in the public interest for Buy America to
> be imposed.
>
> ‘FRA believes a waiver is appropriate because domestically-produced
> high speed trainsets meeting the specific technical, design, and
> schedule needs of Amtrak and CHSRA are not currently available in the
> USA’, the letter explains. ‘Moreover, domestically-produced high
> speed trainsets cannot be bought or produced in the USA within a
> reasonable time given the programme schedule associated with Amtrak's
> and CHSRA’s projects.’


Full story:

FRA waives Buy America rules on high speed train prototypes

Oh goodie.... I see some common sense is being used.....finally.

Although this is a duplication of a prior posting; I don't understand why a "prototype" has to be "built" at all.

If memory serves, in years past Amtrak brought over a German "ICE" train and tested it. Ditto for the X-2000; and, even the AEM-7 electric locomotive was brought over from Sweden and tested.

High Speed train sets, of many different kinds, are running all over Europe, as well as England, China, and Japan.

Why not do what we did before; and simply get a waiver to bring a couple of them over for testing? We did it with the ICE train.

Joe

PS: I've forgotten--did we actually build a protype Acela?

floridajoe2001 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PS: I've forgotten--did we actually build a
> protype Acela?

No

floridajoe2001 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Although this is a duplication of a prior posting;
> I don't understand why a "prototype" has to be
> "built" at all.
>
> If memory serves, in years past Amtrak brought
> over a German "ICE" train and tested it. Ditto for
> the X-2000; and, even the AEM-7 electric
> locomotive was brought over from Sweden and
> tested.
>
> High Speed train sets, of many different kinds,
> are running all over Europe, as well as England,
> China, and Japan.
>
> Why not do what we did before; and simply get a
> waiver to bring a couple of them over for testing?
> We did it with the ICE train.
============================

Did it with the Talgos, too.

However those "prototypes," as you mislabel them, were not true prototypes in
that they were not representative of final production. The ACE and X2000 were
for demonstration and "proof of concept" only; there was never any intent of
producing them for service here. The Talgo Pendular was closer to being a
true prototype but major structural changes had to be made to the design of
the production trains; the original test train was shipped back to Spain.

The Swedish electric locomotive that was brought here for testing was not
an AEM-7. It was an Rc4, which was brought here along with a French CC21000
for testing. Neither met FRA standards for use on American railroads. The CC21000
was a dismal failure and went back to France before its planned tests were completed;
the Rc4 met with success, was shipped back to Sweden, and the Swedish electrical,
suspension and drive system incorporated into an American-design body by Budd and
assembled by EMD, the AEM-7 (the last carbodies, built after Budd went out of
business, were imported).

All of the test units were permitted to continue in service only for the
specified testing period (I believe the Talgo got an extension) and had
to be returned to their countries of origin. An FRA-compliant actual
prototype can remain in this country and continue in service.

As for why a prototype is needed, perhaps there is a lesson learned from
Acela that prototype production and testing are needed to avoid having to make
expensive and embarrassing corrections to the entire fleet when major deficiencies
show up.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/14 10:04 by GenePoon.

If it makes sense and is cost effective, forget it!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/14 14:11 by kdrtrains.

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,3593497

DavidP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> floridajoe2001 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > PS: I've forgotten--did we actually build a
> > protype Acela?
>
> No

But Amtrak should have, considering all the problems the Acela had. Less likely to have problems if you buy an unmodified proven design. Metrolink bought cars nearly identical to the GO Transit cars to save money and time. The one change was a beefed-up air conditioning due to hotter summers in Southern California. Guess which system needed a factory modification? Right. The air conditioning need to have fans replaced!

Barry Draper

Pardon my curiosity as an outsider, but can somebody give me an idea of when there will be enough tracks on the FIRST segment of this boondoggle's tracks to require HSR equipment?

Speaking of that FIRST segment, how's it coming along?
TIA

Fritz in HSV, AL

The first segment of our (NON)boondoggle track will be over 20 miles, more than enough track to test and familiarize equipment with...

And it is only in the middle of nowhere untile one or both ends get connected. Once it is built, I predict many regions will wonder why it wasn't done sooner.

Jim Montague
IRVINE, CA
Train and Nature photo Art

According to article in Progressive Railroading today, the waiver only applies to final assembly of the four trainsets (2 for Amtrak, 2 for CAHSR); all the components still need to be made in America unless further waivers are granted. It's hard to see how this scheme can work in a time- and cost-effective manner.