R160 Subway Car Prototypes Ship to New York City
Transit
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This is an extremely important customer project. The
Metropolitan Transportation Authority - New York City Transit
is the largest subway fleet operator and one of the most
extensive and complex public transportation systems in the
world. Each day, more than seven million people use NYCT
– over two billion customers annually.
The ALSTOM cars will represent a major upgrade to NYCT’s
fleet, and will be equipped with several hi-tech customer
amenities, including state-of-the art air-conditioning systems,
electronic strip maps and signs displaying route and station
information.
The ALSTOM share of the 660 car base order is 400 cars,
and will be delivered in a 2006 to mid-2008 timeframe. The R160
body shells are being manufactured in ALSTOM’s facilities
in Lapa, Brazil, and the remaining share of ALSTOM’s
order will be built up and tested in Hornell. The NYCT R160
Project is the biggest mass transit award from any agency in
the United States to date.
Although ALSTOM experienced some well-publicized delays in
recent months, the R160 delivery indicates that the project has
now stabilized and the quality of the product delivered from
Hornell is recognized by the NYCT.
For a perspective on how the experience so far will impact the
company’s future work, ALSTOM
Transport NAFTA Senior Vice President, Roelof van
Ark, believes that quality was and will continue to be the
driver on the NYCT project.
“Quality and the resultant product reliability are
ALSTOM’s priorities and despite the many challenges, our
project team was vigilant in not compromising quality over
schedule,” he commented.
“In the end, this decision was the right one, as the
first 10 cars shipped to the customer represent a high quality
product.”
From this viewpoint, it is clear that Hornell is well prepared
for the next phase of the project. The project team’s
experience, combined with NYCT’s drive for quality and
the support that they provided during the prototype build
process, ensures that the proper focus is in place at ALSTOM
for the start of full-scale production in 2006.