US-based railcar components manufacturer Amsted Rail Transit has teamed up with French rolling stock solutions provider Alstom to deliver 200 new multilevel railcars for Metra.
Metra is the commuter rail system that operates in the Chicago metropolitan area.
According to Amsted Rail Transit, the initial offering for 200 railcars could be expanded in the future.
As agreed, Amsted Rail Transit will supply complete, assembled bogie systems, along with couplers, draft gears, and crash energy management systems.
These will then be incorporated into Alstom’s railcars at the company’s manufacturing site in New York’s Hornell.
Amsted Rail Truck and End-of-Car Systems COO Matt Cook said: “This programme will make Amsted Rail the only US provider of cast steel bogie designs with the in-house capability to provide the complete assembled bogie, fully validated with all product static and dynamic testing literally rolling the full system under Alstom’s newly designed state-of-the-art Metra cars. It’s two industry leaders optimising efficiencies.”
With the integration of Amsted Rail bogies to the railcar, Metra is expected to provide a ‘smoother, safer riding experience’, as well as improved fleet operational performance.
Cook added: “We’re proud to partner with Alstom and advance the future of US railroad infrastructure. Together, our complementary strengths promise unparalleled passenger service to millions of riders.”
With manufacturing centres in six continents, Amsted Rail delivers undercarriage and end-of-car railcar components for the freight and passenger rail segments.
Alstom recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Plastic Omnium for the development of hydrogen storage systems for the railway industry.
The partnership will leverage the combined expertise of the two firms to support the development.
