The documents prepared for the LIRR's September Committee meeting contained new details about the M9 procurement. We've been talking about this in the
Metro-North Forum, but in case you don't go over there too often,
here are some of the new details:
The LIRR is happy to announce that
Kawasaki Rail Car has been awarded an $1.8 billion contract to design, manufacture, test, and deliver a base order of 92 cars (with added options for up to 584 cars if the LIRR and MNCR so desired).
The final proposal that is set to go before the MTA board is for 92 M9 cars at a price not to exceed $1,834,888,620. The base order would provide the LIRR with enough cars to replace the aging M3 fleet on a one-to-one basis.
The contract also includes additional options that the LIRR (and Metro-North) would be able to exercise if they wanted to get more M9 cars (presumably to cover expansions in service, like East Side Access). Together, the LIRR and Metro-North would be able to order a grand total of 584 M9 cars from Kawasaki. The $1.8 billion figure above includes all base order cars and all the option cars (no, the LIRR isn't paying $1.8 billion for only 92 cars (that's $20 million per car!)).
The money for the 92 car base order is coming from the MTA's 2009-2014 Capital Program. Funding for any future option cars will come from future Capital Programs.
It should also be noted that this contract does not include the M9-A bid, that contract will be awarded at a separate point later down the line. The M9-A cars will be specially modified cars for the LIRR that will be interoperable with the M9's.