(The following story by Rob Varnon appeared on the Connecticut Post website on March 3.)
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — The Department of Transportation is looking at three strategies to purchase new rail cars for the state, but the timing of getting the new cars will depend on the strategy chosen.
The DOT effort follows Monday’s announcement by Gov. John G. Rowland and House Speaker Moira K. Lyons, D-Stamford, that the government will make funds available to order and purchase the cars by the end of this year. The plan calls for a $60 million purchase of locomotives and coaches.
Having the ability to place the order doesn’t mean that the cars are going to show up immediately, according to Harry Harris, DOT’s public transportation bureau chief.
The DOT would not provide an exact time frame for getting the new rolling stock, but industry experts said the best case would have some cars rolling on Connecticut rails in 2005 or 2006, and by 2007 or 2008 in a worst-case scenario.
The DOT is exploring the possibility of buying used railcars, which would probably be the quickest way to get more rolling stock, according to Harris.
But this can only occur if the railcars being sold are compatible with Connecticut’s system, and if there are surplus cars for sale.
Compatibility with Connecticut’s system is possibly the biggest obstacle standing in the way of the purchase, according to the DOT.
Connecticut’s rail system uses both overhead alternating current and third-rail direct current to power its electric railcars. In order for the cars to run between New Haven and New York City, they must operate on both systems.
Harris said the DOT is looking into the possibility of purchasing locomotives that run on diesel and D/C third rail. The locomotives would operate on diesel power in Connecticut and switch to third rail in New York, he said.
General Electric Co. has already built locomotives that operate on both diesel and third rail, but Harris said he isn’t sure if that technology is available any more because of new federal environmental regulations.
David Frail, GE spokesman, said the company has developed a new diesel locomotive that meets federal regulations that aren’t slated to go into effect until 2005.
Helene Gagnon, a spokeswoman for Bombardier, another locomotive and coach manufacturer, said her company does not build diesel and electric coaches in America, but it does build coaches. She said besides GE, General Motors also builds locomotives of that type.
The other issue with ordering new locomotives and coaches is that it will require the state to go through a bidding process that could add more than a year to the process of getting trains, according to the DOT.
A way to avoid this is to piggyback Connecticut’s order onto another state’s order, but Harris said the problem here is that the state will need to find if any such orders have been placed.
Marjie Anders, a spokeswoman for Metro-North Railroad, said Connecticut will again have to find an order that is compatible with its system’s needs. Metro-North is the contracted operator of the New Haven Line for Connecticut.
DOT spokesman Chris Cooper said the department is also exploring the possibility of combining all three strategies to bring in new railcars and locomotives and should know by the end of the month what strategy it is going to use.
He also said the DOT is developing a long-range strategy to replace its aging fleet of 343 cars, most of which are almost 30 years old.
But that strategy probably won’t be completed for several months, Cooper said.
The state’s aging fleet is the reason it needs to make this purchase of 20 railcars, which Harris said will only provide some temporary relief for the problems facing the line.
Over the last two winters, the railcars on the system have been damaged by snow and cold, forcing the railroad to shorten trains.
Harris said the DOT has finally picked out the next generation of railcars, electing to go with cars that each have their own power sources, after studying the issue for more than a year.
Rail advocacy groups and the state’s Transportation Strategy Board are calling for the Legislature and Rowland to adopt a plan to replace the fleet in stages, which is expected to cost the state billions.