M9 and M9A Procurement & Acceptance

[deandremouse]

The door apparatus on the M8 is made by Vapor (same in the M7) and so will be on the M9. Has nothing to do with the car manufacturers, just newer versions of the same door system. Design really hasn't changed much, what you're hearing is the door motor as it spins,

[Head-end View]

Okay, so both Kawasaki and Bombardier buy from the same supplier. You're saying the technology has improved over the years then? But why were the doors on the M-1/M-3's so quiet in 1969/1985?

[BuddR32]

Different mechanism altogether. The M1/M3 have doors mounted on simple roller bearing tracks, and side mounted operators that open and close the doors through an over-center lock type linkage

The M7 has an overhead mounted jackscrew with fine threads which spin at a high speed, hence the three stooges sound when they open and close.

The C3 has a similar setup, only the jackscrew thread is much broader.

I believe the M9 will have door systems made by Fuji

[Head-end View]

Thanks! Let's hope Fuji knows how to build a quiet door system.

[DutchRailnut]

with the buy american concept, most components are US made including air conditioners, door operators, toilet systems brake components, etc etc.

[Head-end View]

What's your point Dutch?

[DutchRailnut]

that door operators will be vapor-wabtech.

[BuddR32]

Doors are without a doubt Fuji. There is no buy america component on the M9, they're not federally funded. The M9A will be federally funded and a separate procurement with a buy america component

[Head-end View]

BuddR32, I assume the M9A is for Metro-North? Why would theirs be Federally funded but not LIRR's M9's?

[andrewjw]

Nope, M9 and M9A will both run on both railroads, the distinction this time around is the funding source.

[Head-end View]

Well whover builds the friggin' door mechanisms, they'd better be quieter than on the M-7's 'cause those noisy doors are a disgrace to modern industry. And the M-8's have already proven that the industry can do better.

[DutchRailnut]

https://www.panynj.gov/business-opportu ... notice.pdf

[DutchRailnut]

http://www.railwaygazette.com/tenders/d ... posal.html

[deandremouse]

Kawasaki loose the contract or is this a supplement? Interesting they’re opening this up to other car builders. CRRC could try to bid and undercut Kawasaki.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Kawasaki loose the contract or is this a supplement? Interesting they’re opening this up to other car builders. CRRC could try to bid and undercut Kawasaki.

It's the supplement since it specifically states the M9A.

The different funding sources probably bureaucratically force them to reissue an RFP as if this were a separate order. Kawasaki has the suffix-less M9 order, and that has not changed at all (there would've long ago been massive news coverage if anything were imploding there akin to Sumitromo/Nippon-Sharyo with the Amtrak bi-levels). So this is theirs to rubber-stamp.


The only rumor of a change in the master plan came from the Amtrak forum a couple weeks ago with some employee saying MNRR was considering a move to bi-level EMU's instead of LIRR M9 clones...but that has not been verified by any other official or unofficial sources so it can't be taken at face value. The only vector for making that change would be if MNRR's share of base-order M9's were somehow traded to LIRR for the M9A options and this RFP were used to re-bid out for NJT MultiLevel EMU clones with third rail to physically substitute the design for MNRR. But somebody would have to run a ton of political favors to somehow square the stark difference in funding sources in order to make that bureaucratically work. The suffix-less vs. -A split in the order is all about funding and not MTA road assignments so it's extremely improbable that they could make the legalese of a re-segmented order work at all for that purpose...much less work at all at this late a date.