MCL1981 wrote:jetfan wrote:I was at the Timonium show a few weeks ago and spoke with someone from Bombardier with regards to the cab cars. Apparently, MARC changed a lot of the inner workings on the cab cars, so much so, that the FRA won't let them run the cars without be re-certified, as though they are completely new cars. This means sending them to Colorado. He also stated that MARC had stepped on the wrong toes at the FRA, making the situation worse. His opinion was that the cars won't run for a very long time, if ever. Please take this with a grain of salt as the person that I spoke with could have been anybody and could have been talking out his rear, just passing along what I heard, and it seems plausible.
Anyone surprised by this? They were supposed to be in service 2 months ago.
Nope. I'm sure this is exactly what's been going on. I don't think MARC has ever accepted new equipment without very lengthy delays and drama (Kawasaki bilevels, Bombardier coaches, VRE Kawasakis, AEM-7 rebuilds, MP36 diesels...). These cars need to enter service eventually.
The state can't afford to keep 15 cab cars that cost $3 million a piece out of service. Plus, the Kawasaki MARC III bilevels are overdue for their mid-life overhaul and they'll need to have these in service if MARC wants to rebuild them more than a few at a time (like they did with the MARC IIB single-levels), especially since all of the MARC IIA's have been retired now.
