If AnsaldoBreda cannot deliver trains on time and within the weight limit (6000 lbs overweight, which meant the county had to spend money reinforcing overhead bridges) then they should step aside.

Canadian company Bombardier, German company Siemens and Japanese company Kawasaki Heavy Industries will all be more than willing to build trains on time within the weight limit.

Let's say ciao to AsaldoBreda.

I agree with Damien Newton--this is beyond being beyond surreal.

And of course we continue to have the troubles of light rail procurement at Metro, the dubious legacies of the P-2000 and P-2550 cars, that we need someone to get to the bottom of. We can't keep repeating mistakes plaguing these multi-million dollar expenditures whose results will operate on our rail lines for 30+ years. As with TAP and the delays in the Eastside Line, where is the leadership at the Metro Board?

I do remember what happened in 2003 as Erik G. and I were among the 37 individuals aboard including Kurt Streeter of the LA Times along with his photographer. (Kurt now does sports columns).

We left aboard the FIRST northbound train at 4 a.m. for Pasadena and after the round-trip back to LA for the first time, I was interviewed and photographed but the interview and photographs were never used. Another friend of mine aboard was mentioned the next day in the Sunday LA Times (the first trip was on a Saturday).

I agree with my friend, Dana Gabbard, about having extra buses available ala the 632. We needed the buses back in 2003 and I am sure we will need them for this opening.

I hope MTA changes their mind within the next two weeks on this matter.

Incidentally, I grew up and went to school in the area served by the Eastside Gold Line Extension. I used the "P" car for many years which the "Extension" uses part of the route of.

It should be an interesting opening.

---"Ken" Ruben---

The deal’s disintegration has ramifications beyond the future work, said MTA board member Richard Katz, a Villaraigosa appointee. He cited an agreement under which AnsaldoBreda was going to provide two free rail cars, which sell for $3 million each, to make up for building the vehicles heavier than specified...

In tones that reflected the soured relations between the company and local officials, Katz called AnsaldoBreda “unprofessional and so unbusinesslike,” and said the company's inability to perform under its existing contract could result in litigation.

Wowee!

P.S. Damien Goodmon, who was Lucy and who was Charlie Brown in this?

The Metro press release mentions that Breda will still get to bid on the new cars. So they may be gone, but not for long.

Either way once we have cars that are actually operational, can we get Breda to take back and compensate us for the original cramped cars?

Browne

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-metro-train-deal,0,7394278.story

AnsaldoBreda in Denmark:

The company has recently become known for delaying the delivery of the new IC4 high-speed Diesel multiple units and refusing to acknowledge penalties claimed by the government because of these delays. The trains were supposed to be ready in 2003, but so far Ansaldobreda has only been able to deliver a single set for testing. May 21st 2008 the Danish customer DSB announced that they would cancel the entire 5 bill. DKK (€670mln) contract unless at least 14 sets are delivered and in service by May 2009. However 70% of the contract amount has already been paid to AnsaldoBreda.

AnsaldoBreda in Holland:

The Dutch operator NS Hispeed has placed an order for nine V250 'Albatros' high-speed trainsets for operation on the HSL Zuid high-speed line between Brussels and Amsterdam. Belgian national railway operator NMBS ordered another 3. However, Ansaldobreda was also unable to deliver these trains on time, and testing with the only available set (in the Czech Republic) did not begin until 2008.

AnsaldoBreda in Norway:

Ansaldobreda is also responsible for providing the new fleet of Classe 72 EMUs for NSB (Norwegian State Railways) local trains in Norway, replacing the aging BM69 units.

They have also, partnered with Firema, delivered the most recent trams (SL95) to the City of Oslo in the years 1999-2004. Both the NSB trains and the Oslo trams experienced initial technical problems, SUCH AS NOT BEING ABLE TO RUN IN TEMPERATURES BELOW 50 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT* which Ansaldo/Firema received heavy criticism for.

*(These temperatures apparently can and do occur in Oslo, Norway!)

Breda in Boston:

The Type 8 LRV for Boston's Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)(manufactured 1999-2008 with interruptions) These LRVs had extensive problems, and Breda's attempt to gain the contract for an order of MBTA Blue Line cars was refused despite Breda having the low bid.

Breda in Seattle:

Breda won a contract for dual-mode (electric trolley and diesel) buses for the Seattle Bus Tunnel over Neoplan. Neoplan had a permanent manufacturing facility at that time in Lamar, Colorado paying professional wages ($20-$30 plus) for assembly, but Breda got the nod by promising to assemble the overseas-manufactured components in Washington State at an agreed-upon wage; it was later found that the assembly workers were in fact being paid just above minimum wage and the buses turned out to be of poor quality.

====================================

Since the above was written, AnsaldoBreda has signed a contract to build an Automated Metro in Saudi Arabia in partnership with Osama Bin Laden's Family:
http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/10/riyadh-university-metro-contracts-signed.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Binladin_Group

And as part of a colonial reparations action by the Italian Government, AnsaldoBreda delivered the forst of a series of High-Speed Trains to Libya's Colonel Muammar Qaddafi:
Page 3 of: http://www.innovaxin.com/news.pdf

I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions.

http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/politics/metro_rail_cars_contract_falls_through_20091030

(In case it gets changed, when I am posting this there is a picture of a Metrolink diesel locomotive, a squared-off F59-something, alongside the story)

Time for Metrolink to become "Regiolink"?