MTA gives PTC contractor ultimatum - Newsday

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's board, frustrated with the installation of federally mandated crash prevention technology for the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad, on Wednesday threatened to fire its contractor if its CEO doesn't show up at its next board meeting.

At a Manhattan meeting of the MTA, board member Laurence Schwartz told representatives from Siemens Mobility Inc. that if its chief executive, Joe Kaeser, does not attend the agency's next board meeting in May to answer questions about problems with the installation of positive train control technology and offer assurances about the project, Siemens would be "fired."

Informally polled by new MTA Chairman Patrick Foye on Schwartz's proposal, board members unanimously gestured they would support severing business ties with Siemens, an international technology conglomerate that Foye said has been awarded "hundreds of millions of dollars" in contracts by the MTA over the years.

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that would mean no new chargers either.
cutting ties with one of only suppliers would not bode well for MTA.

Yeah what a joke. How are they going to finish PTC? Source dual mode engines? If MTA cuts off Siemens, and Amtrak cut off BBD, are we expecting a new builder? Forget having any chance of finishing PTC on time.

But then, this is being logical about the situation, something that has been utterly lacking since day one of the PTC fraud. Nothing about it has been logical, so why proceed that way now.

Hopefully the Siemens official shows up and they all make up. Otherwise the MTA will have to figure their own way out of their silly ultimatum.

It is not a silly ultimatum to NYS's taxpayers: they would like to see a company that fails to comply with a state contract held accountable. They may say that this type of action is long overdue, and that low-balling a bid just to get a "too big to fail" contract will not be rewarded by not cancelling the contract.

Just saying.

by banning manufacturers we will end up with chinese or korean choo choo's, don't we get enough crap from those countries ??

The Metro North and CDOT owned(229-232) genesis units still work fine and I don't really see the point in retiring them just yet.

say what? they sure are getting towards end of useful life , specially if MN will start using MLV's

This is just a political power play. Siemens is a rail industry major league player. The MTA has had a history of not wanting to deal with German companies, even their American subsidiaries. This will "justify" not dealing with them. Siemens has been supplying American railroads with equipment for over 150 years.

When I look at it, GEs won't be a good match for pulling six or seven multilevels. The acceleration would be an issue, probably making it hard to keep up with the schedule.

njt/mnrrbuff wrote:The Metro North and CDOT owned(229-232) genesis units still work fine and I don't really see the point in retiring them just yet.

I guess you have missed posts here and on other forums where Metro North Genesis units have sat out of service for a year awaiting parts that GE no longer supports or wants to supply. From what I have read, and I am sure others can better explain, the computer systems that control the locomotives are primitive by today's standards, and GE no longer supports them. It not an off the shelf part, so its raid other units are wait for GE to supply it.

Then there's no aftermarket supplier for the GE "computers",and GE wont release the Schematics to allow an aftermarket option?

DutchRailnut wrote:by banning manufacturers we will end up with chinese or korean choo choo's, don't we get enough crap from those countries ??

There is no call to expressing anti Asian sentiment here. China in factual basis is building more high speed rail lines than any other country and its equipment is equal to Europe.

Caterpillar now owns what was the GM locomotive business and WABTEC now owns what was the GE locomotive business. Somehow, the last time Amtrak bought both electric and diesel locomotives, they didn't go with either of these companies. They went with Siemens. Bombardier has had lots of problems with its railroad business. The company that is building Amtrak's single level sleepers and diners is years behind schedule. The NYMTA will be shooting itself in the foot if it decides not to do business with Siemens.

Pateljones, the Asian equipment uses inferior metals which will rot out quicker than European or America metal. Its not an ethnic issue, its a longevity issue.