M-1 Awards $32 Million Streetcar Contract
By Edward Cardenas
DETROIT (CBS Detroit) - M-1 RAIL announced Monday that it contracted with a Pennsylvania-based company to design and build six individual streetcars to run along Woodward Avenue.
Century-old Brookville Equipment Corporation, based in Brookville, PA, was contracted by M-1 Rail to provide the streetcars. The company is the only maker of streetcars to design and manufacture exclusively in the United States.
"Selection of Brookville provides M-1 RAIL with a company that has experience constructing streetcars that best meet this project's technological requirements and timeline, " said Paul Childs, chief operating officer for M-1 RAIL, in a release. "We are pleased to reach agreement with Brookville, a streetcar manufacturer that specializes in the advanced off-wire technology that will make our system a leader in this technology."
Brookville will design, build, test and conduct safety certifications for the streetcars. The $32 million contract includes six vehicles, spare parts and support services for the three-piece cars, which are expected to be 66 feet long and carry 125 passengers.
The streetcars will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and vertical bicycle racks will be included in the design. The streetcars will also feature Wi-Fi access for passengers, and HVAC systems to keep the cars cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
Brookville has provided streetcars for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), which has a system with similar streetcar technology.
In Detroit, the Woodward route will utilize off-wire technology, with 60 percent of the line operating on battery power provided by 750-volt rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, according to M-1 officials.
"M-1 RAIL will minimize its impact on the aesthetics of Detroit's iconic Woodward Avenue, and the Penske Technical Center will not have the labyrinth of wires overhead that typify the maintenance and repair sites of other systems," Childs said. "The off-wire technology also enhances safety and enables more efficient maintenance and repair due to safe, but simpler, procedures for technicians."
Delivery of the six streetcars will begin in the fourth quarter of 2016.
The 3.3-mile (6.6 miles round-trip) streetcar route runs along Woodward Avenue between Larned Street and West Grand Boulevard. It is expected to operational in late 2016.
