The agency Wednesday issued a request for proposals for at least 200 new railcars and is urging manufacturers to suggest alternative designs that might work better than the widely used bi-level gallery cars, an industry staple.
“We are excited to open this procurement up and explore all the alternative designs that may be proposed,” Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski says in a statement. “Safety, reliability and an improved, modern passenger experience will be important aspects to Metra in this procurement.”
Metra says its cars have an average age of 30 years, the oldest in the nation, and that the oldest cars in daily service are more than 65 years old.
Proposals will be due in August and Metra said it hopes to finalize a deal by the end of the year. The order will be for at least 200 new cars, with options to buy up to 200 more if funding is available.
The agency said an important consideration for the new cars will be their seating capacity. Metra said yard space and platform length currently limit the number and length of trains that can operate. Thus, the agency hopes higher-capacity cars can meet increased ridership demand within the existing confines.
In addition, the agency said the interior design of the seats, aisles, stairwells and doors must create the “most efficient passenger flow possible.”
The seats must have arm rests and cup holders, features which Metra started adding in the past few years.
Manufacturers will also have the option of proposing features such as USB ports, foot rests, tray tables, and even heated floors.
The RFP says the new cars also must include bike racks for two to five bikes, a camera/DVR system for the passenger area and LED lighting. Onboard Wi-Fi may be proposed as an option; but if the proposal does not include Wi-Fi, there must be provisions for it to be added later.
Metra said some alternative car designs now available have lower, platform-level boarding that could benefit Americans with Disabilities Act customers and families with strollers when boarding and detraining.
Experts say one deficiency with gallery cars is “dwell time” — the time it takes passengers to board and exit the train. Metra said it will consider other designs that have different side-loading door configurations that could potentially speed train loading.
Metra had sought to purchase as many as 350 new railcars as recently as 2016 but put off the decision citing a shortfall in capital money from the state of Illinois.
Agency officials have been pressing Illinois officials strongly to come up with a new long-term bond program to pay for new equipment. The state has not had such a program for more than a decade, but the recently elected governor has indicated he is open to the idea.
