Stadler GTW

I can't believe there isn't a topic already posted about these DMUs. There's more of these DMUs in active service in America today than everything else put together.
Stadler's GTW home
http://www.stadlerrail.com/en/vehicles/gtw/

NJT is running 20 GTWs on the Riverline.
http://www.stadlerrail.com/en/reference ... ansit-usa/
CapMetro is running 6 on its Red Line.
http://www.stadlerrail.com/en/reference ... metro-usa/
Denton County will be running 11 on its A-Train.
http://www.stadlerrail.com/en/reference ... cta-texas/
That's 36 Stadler GTWs 2/6 that will be operating in the USA by late 2012. NJT's GTWs have been in revenue service since 2002. CapMetro's since 2010. DCTA's are scheduled to enter service in September 2012.

Additionally, DCTA has options for an additional 25 more GTWs, which DART and FWTA might assume for both's future Cotton Belt line projects.

Image credit to DCTA

I started this topic mainly because I wanted to update the status of the DCTA's order. The first passenger section of the first vehicle for DCTA has completed its welding and sandblasting process, which means its ready for the painting and sound insulation process next, followed by the lengthy installation of the interior and systems elements. The first vehicle is schedule to arrive in Lewisville in August 2011. The final vehicle is scheduled for delivery in April 2012. Testing will continue through August 2012 with “fleet transition” scheduled for September of 2012.

Facebook link to the arrival of DCTA's first GTWs.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 3080414920
Additional photo from another source, Denton Record Chronicle

Testing DCTA's Stadler GTWs has begun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLmLq1wGH6g

FWTA, The T, has included using Stadler GTWs in a street-running mode in their new study for East Lancaster Road. This bus route has their highest ridership, and they have just recently bought 60 feet articulated buses for it. East Lancaster Road is a six lane divided highway seven miles long with a fairly large median along most of the way. I don't visualize any problems running GTWs on it at all.
Well, they've just started the study, I'm thinking they'll initially go with BRT as is, or in dedicated lanes, but I did find it interesting they even though that far out of the box to include the GTWs in the study.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/11/22 ... -line.html

Yippee!

Dallas, TX - On Monday, June 4, 2012, Administrator Joseph Szabo of the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) in conjunction with the American Public Transportation Association Annual
Rail Conference will formally announce approval of DCTA’s request to operate the Stadler GTW
concurrent with traditional, compliant equipment. This means that for the first time ever; lightweight/
fuel efficient, eco-friendly low-floor vehicles will be permitted to operate in rail corridors
concurrently with traditionally compliant vehicles. The waiver, a first of its kind, will expand
commuter rail options for transportation authorities across the United States.

http://www.dcta.net/images/stories/pdfs ... by_FRA.pdf

Watershed moment right there. There's a lot of agencies out there that have their eyes on DMUs.

I was going through Bob Vogel's wonderfull collection of NJT pics in his RRPicturesArchive.NET NJT Album - in that album there are quite a few pics of the Stadler GTW DeMU LRVs on NJT's riverLINE - as I was going throught the pics all of a sudden there is a pic of a GTW trainset alongside a NS FREIGHT train - I was like WTF??? what about that temporal restriction with LRV classified DMUs (or DeMUs like the GTW) running along with freight trains? - I wanted to post this in the appropiate topic for rolling stock equip etc.,and not the general NJT forum - I found this RDC specific forum

then I found this Stadler Rail GTW specific sub forum and then I got my answer - the rules have been changed - like that Honda lawnmower commercial "this changes everything"

here is the link to Bob Vogel's pic
http://chuchubob.rrpicturearchives.net/ ... id=2879976

take note of the date though - 6 months before the recent FRA rule change - so I guess this was tech. ileagal at that time

will the NCTD SPRINTER Siemens Desiro LRV/DMUs now be able to run alongside freight trains as well?

On riverline there is time seperation NS can not switch out the riverline untill after hours, the train you see next to riverline is on NS's own trackage.
nothing really has changed, you can not run non-Compliant equipment at same time as Compliant equipment.
and the Stadler GTW is still not compliant, they do have certain waivers for stuff like floor and coupler height and for hand rails.

DutchRailnut wrote:On riverline there is time seperation NS can not switch out the riverline untill after hours, the train you see next to riverline is on NS's own trackage.
nothing really has changed, you can not run non-Compliant equipment at same time as Compliant equipment.
and the Stadler GTW is still not compliant, they do have certain waivers for stuff like floor and coupler height and for hand rails.

I don't think this is correct for the new Stadlers for the Denton County/DCTA (which was the whole point)
The relaxation of rules will allow lightweight low-floor vehicles to operate on rail corridors along with traditional trains and also help expand commuter-rail options for US transportation authorities. FRA's Rail Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) prepared a set of technical criteria and procedures in 2009, to evaluate passenger train-sets built to alternative designs that enable lighter, more fuel-efficient rail vehicles equipped with crash energy management systems to mix with customary equipment "Mix with customary equipment"

The waiver means that for the first time, lightweight low-floor vehicles will be permitted to operate in rail corridors concurrently with traditional vehicles, helping to expand commuter-rail options for U.S. transportation authorities, DCTA officials said in a prepared statement "Concurrently with Traditional vehicles"

No, this is precisely what we require in the US, Light-weight DMUs that can operate along with conventional "FRA-rated" rail traffic without any ridiculous "Temporal Separation" nonsense. If everything works out well, this sounds like a no-brainer for the NJ Northern Branch.

A waiver is only a temporary permission to divert from rules, its not a permanent permission to circumvent the rules.
the FRA is basicly giving Denton County Transportation Authority time to come up with a permanent solution.

DutchRailnut wrote:A waiver is only a temporary permission to divert from rules, its not a permanent permission to circumvent the rules.
the FRA is basicly giving Denton County Transportation Authority time to come up with a permanent solution.

Did you read the links I gave?
"Stadler USA president Steve Bonina said: "Stadler continues to be hopeful that the FRA codifies the RSAC guidelines into regulatory requirements in order to open the North American Rail Network to this outstanding, safer, eco-friendly rail technology, which will help to make rail systems safer, more efficient, more reliable and less costly."
"In 2009, the FRA’s Rail Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) prepared a set of technical criteria and procedures for evaluating passenger train-sets built to alternative designs that enable lighter, more fuel-efficient rail vehicles equipped with a crash energy management system to commingle with traditional equipment. The DCTA/Stadler U.S. Inc. alternative design waiver is the first comprehensive submittal that follows the RSAC Engineering Task Force procedures for Tier I equipment, DCTA officials said."

If these tests work out (and they should), this WILL BE the permanent solution (or at least a big part of it) - no more sole reliance on tank-like mass, but instead use of energy absorance and modern engineering design. Goodbye arbitrary "1 million pound force without deformation" crush force designs, goodbye inane temporal separations - this IS the real permanant solution. Unfortunately since public safety is involved, the FRA can't just say "no problem - spec change!" - they need some proof from a real operating environment for legal cya reasons...

the word in text is hopefull, but it seems you counted your chickens before...........

DutchRailnut wrote:the word in text is hopefull, but it seems you counted your chickens before...........

Me? Chicken counting in regards to lightweight DMUs? Possibly, but I don't recall doing so. I do recall asking how Colorado Railcar was coming along with those FRA-Crush strength DMUs awhile back, and turns out...not so well (a total of what? 5? 6? produced), and I do recall ranting against Temoral/Spacial Separation nonsense, but no chickens to my knowledge
This new crush management approach would be very useful for the LIRR east end services, which MUST run in conjunction with standard "FRA" trains, although the media-guesses so far (what little exist) seem more toward modified M7 type DMUs. Would be interesting to see.

Although you were rather wrong about the purpose of the waivers, Dutch...

Looks like FWTA (Fort Worth Transit Agency), locally called the T, might be buying 16-20 GTWs ($88 to $100 Million) for their TexRail project. The photo of the proposed train is included in their press release, but not the specific manufacturer or model name. The DMU in the photo is a red, white, and blue livery GTW. No contractural agreement has been made, but the FWTA Board has voted to change the wording of the type of trains to be ran in the TexRail FEIS.
http://www.the-t.com/About/NewsNotices/ ... hicle.aspx

The tracks to be used by TexRail have FWWR, UP, TRE, BNSF and DGNO freight trains, and GVRR steam excursion trains operating on them. Light trains running with heavy trains.

BART will be buying eight (8) 2/6 GTWs for its eBART service in Contra Costa County. It'll be running on 10 miles of dedicated tracks in the median of the State Highway 4 freeway, so FRA compliance is not required.
http://www.stadlerrail.com/en/news/2014 ... o-oakland/