New coaches to be delivered for Rail Runner service in New Mexico

From the news wires, this bit of info on the new commuter rail service coming to the Albuquerque, NM area by the end of this year:

Bombardier Rolls Out First BiLevel Commuter Car for New Commuter Rail Line in New Mexico, USA

Distribution Source : CCNMatthews

Date : Tuesday - June 14, 2005



THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - June 14, 2005) - Bombardier Transportation, along with representatives of the New Mexico Mid-Region Council of Governments (MRCOG), the New Mexico Department of Transportation and other invited guests, celebrated completion of the first of 10 Bombardier BiLevel commuter rail cars for a new service between Belen and Bernalillo, New Mexico in the USA. William Spurr, President, Bombardier Transportation, North America; Lawrence Rael, Executive Director of the MRCOG; and Rhonda Faught, New Mexico Secretary of Transportation presided over the festivities at Bombardier's manufacturing facility in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The vehicles are scheduled for delivery between August and October 2005. The first car was completed in just eight months after Notice to Proceed (NTP) was given in October 2004. The new vehicles will run on the New Mexico Rail Runner Express, New Mexico's first commuter rail line, by the end of 2005.





William Spurr commented: "The Bombardier BiLevel car is a service proven transit solution that delivers unparallel reliability and cost efficiency. We are very proud that New Mexico chose our products for their new commuter train service." He added: "We are especially proud to be part of the state of New Mexico's vision to provide enhanced and reliable service for its citizens and look forward to a long term relationship with our customer for many years to come."

The first BiLevel vehicle went into service in 1978 with GO Transit in Toronto. Since then, Bombardier has produced more than 750 BiLevel cars operating with eleven different public transit authorities in North America, enhancing the car's safety and service features over time.

With a service proven design, low implementation costs, as well as limited requirements for infrastructure construction, the BiLevel car is well suited for start-up lines such as New Mexico's new commuter rail line. Moreover, BiLevel cars offer the advantages of a common platform, allowing our customers to build in their needs and requirements.

Lawrence Rael, Executive Director of the MRCOG, praised the spirit of cooperation between Bombardier and the Mid Region Council of Governments. "We are delighted that Bombardier has been able to deliver these railcars in such a short timeframe, especially given our unconventional designs," he said. He added: "The Governor of New Mexico asked that we have commuter rail service up and running by the end of this year, and Bombardier's accelerated production schedule will allow us to meet that deadline."

In North America, Bombardier Transportation is the leader in intercity, commuter rail, automated rapid transit and automated guideway transit systems. It also maintains two of the largest multi-level commuter fleets in Canada and the United States through its North American Services Unit.

 

Very cool - are those of the "Rail Runner" design??



More Info: http://www.mrcog-nm.gov/commuter_rail.htm

-Mike

 

I've ridden Bombardier cars on the Trinity Rail Express route between Dallas & Ft. Worth- they're very nice cars, & ride well. The train I was on going from Dallas Union Station to Centrepoint (the D/FW Airport station- airport accessible by shuttle bus) had a new, streamlined F59PHI on the point, towing two coaches and a coach w/cab. The art graphics are sweet to look at.

Not sure what the artwork will be for New Mexico, but I'll wager it'll be based on the native scene (Indians, Southwest, that sort of thing).

 

Oops, my bad- I went back to SLSF Freak's post, and hit the link to the website- oh man, those cars look NICE!!!! IIRC, the power is supposed to be the MP36s similar to what Metra got recently.

I see that the service is using the old Santa Fe main- aside from the SW Zephyr, is there much non-commuter traffic for the Rail Runner to work around?

 

Since Athearn has already released models painted for such agencies as VRE and Trinity Rail Express, I think this post is quite appropriate. It's good to know that Athearn is recognizing this new system so early.