Request For Expression Interest for Lease of Passenger Car Coach

EH, CR and EO: Gallery cars just would not work for the LIRR...Door modifications alone would be a costly
retrofit to change the entire door area to either add traps or remove both step areas with the doors at the
level of the floor similar to the now-retired Highliner MU fleet or the current Metra Electric MU fleet...

Another problem coming to mind is curved platforms at certain locations - Syosset and Glen Street are both
good examples - the gaps between the high platform and center gallery car doors would be just too wide...
Example: NJT Arrow MU cars do not use center doors at Princeton Junction on the curved "Dinky" platform.

Single level or Bombardier multilevel cars would be the best LIRR lease/purchase option...MACTRAXX

Doesn't appear so. The PS style gallery cars are 15 ft 10 inches tall. That's four inches shorter than a Superliner, but 16 inches taller than the Kawasaki C1/C3 bilevels (14 ft 6 inches, which appears to be the max for the tunnels and the canopies at Jamaica and elsewhere).

EO: Thanks for pointing out the equipment height for gallery cars - that alone would not allow them
to be used in LIRR service along with the other features that disqualify them...

All LIRR equipment have quarter point side doors without end vestibules in case anyone is unaware...
I should have mentioned that previously in comparison to gallery cars with their single center door area...
MACTRAXX

The LIRR's procurement page reveals that the railroad will be issuing a sole source RFP for the lease of 8 to 12 passenger cars from MARC. The contract would be for this coming summer with options for two additional seasons.

https://new.mta.info/doing-business-wit ... -rail-road

MACTRAXX wrote: ↑Wed Nov 13, 2024 10:03 am EH, CR and EO: Gallery cars just would not work for the LIRR...

Totally agree. My initial post about traps and ducking was entirely intended as satire....

Most likely single level MARC coaches. Any surplus MBBs out there?

In a few years, they can always get, or even perhaps lease, these from CTDOT: https://railroad.net/alstom-ctdot-singl ... 75854.html

I think these would be great for the East End services.

I do still think that the R&D costs sunk in, especially compared to the Multilevels, makes it seem as if Alstom thinks there's going to be a single-level market within the Northeast Corridor. I think these cars - which are 2x2 and roomier - would make sense on the longer distance East End runs - LIC to Montauk, the Cannonball, and so on.

The MTA 2025-2029 capitol plan calls for the replacement of the East of Hudson coaches. If MTA wants 2x3 seating, there's nothing stopping either the Siemens Venture or the Alstom designs from accommodating that in an otherwise identical car to the 2x2 seating versions.

I can also see that Alstom may be considering this design for competing against Siemens for new state-owned fleets, such as NCDOT's.