NICTD WLC which would you choose? please sign petition!

buddah wrote:Hey JB I don't know about that, I wouldn't speak so soon with this new " Buy American" clause the government is signing in to law. For all public works projects and as NICTD is state operated they may get the shaft. Now all orders placed before the clause went into effect are safe and exempt form it. but it will be interesting to see how orders after this will work. Does Nippon even have a US building facility? Parts of the bill already passed and regulate that Steel be made by US companies in the US, also products resulting for steel be manufactured here as well. Canada is Having a FIT right now! The US has killed one of there major exports. It will be interesting to see how this works out.

EDIT: form Sumitomo/Nippon web site on there current car projects for the US....
"Car body shells will be manufactured in Nippon Sharayo's Toyokawa plant in Japan and the final assembley will be done at Super Steel's plant in Milwaukee using various components procured in the U.S."

A few things - first, "Buy America" is not new or revolutionary. NICTD is already under its provisions, and the latest order came from Sumitomo / Nippon Sharyo. Second, in order to truly buy American, there would have to be an American railcar builder to buy from. There is not. Bombardier is just as 'foreign' as Nippon Sharyo. Last - you've already noted it - the cars were over 70% assembled in the US. That would certainly be the case with future purchases.

doepack wrote:I know this might be looking WAY ahead, but are there any sort of "reverse moves" planned during rush hours, where one set would short-turn (as a revenue express run or equipment move) to an outlying point or to Randolph St (in the PM rush) to make another trip? If so, then the schedule could conceivably be covered by 4 sets assigned to both Lowell & Valpo...

The operating plan hasn't been refined nearly enough to say just yet. This thing is at least 5 years away, best case.

jb9152 wrote: A few things - first, "Buy America" is not new or revolutionary. NICTD is already under its provisions, and the latest order came from Sumitomo / Nippon Sharyo. Second, in order to truly buy American, there would have to be an American railcar builder to buy from. There is not. Bombardier is just as 'foreign' as Nippon Sharyo. Last - you've already noted it - the cars were over 70% assembled in the US. That would certainly be the case with future purchases.

yes your right the Buy American is nothing new but the revision they just put on it is going to make thing of this nature more difficult. Sharyo web site did not state what percentage was assembled in the US. You say 70% and that sounds good to me, however what if they want the cars bodies to be manufactured here as well.. that kind of throws a monkey wrench in things, especially as you have said (and we all know )we DON'T have any American rail car builders. kind of a catch 22. As I said it will be interesting to see what happens when the dust settles.

just for anyone following the possibility of the new lines there has been and update in the RDA Bill.. from what I heard everything went as planned on feb 24 and is now as the article states.

http://chestertontribune.com/Northwest% ... new_so.htm

Obama seems to be pro-transit and the stimulus bill seems to direct for such.

The only negative I see is the current economy situation but everything seems to stand that its gonna turn around.

I actually expect it to pass. I think NICTD is still going to persue the expansion whatever happens, but this is their need if its going to happen, if there wasn't a stimulus package, it still might pass, but the stimulous bill might be the punch that pushes it forward I bet.

I did some work over the Buy American act about six months ago. I don't remember the particulars, but it struck me as all bark, no bite. If I find my notes, I'll fill in the blanks when I get a chance.