During a recent routine inspection, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) identified a failure in an electrical grounding component on an Orange Line vehicle and is currently operating two train sets fewer than the scheduled number of vehicles required to meet the agency’s schedule.
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) officials were recently notified that delivery of new Red and Orange Line railcars from CRRC (China Railway Rolling Stock Corp.) will be postponed further because the firm “expects it will need several more months to finish manufacturing” due to “nagging pandemic-related supply and labor issues.”
Nothing highlights the impact and risks of the global supply chain on the North American rail industry better than wheels. Yes, wheels for rail rolling stock: freight cars, passenger and transit cars, and locomotives.
Early this month, CRRC will deliver the first two of 44 multilevel railcars to exo, Montreal’s regional/commuter rail and bus system.
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has opened a $22 million test track and vehicle commissioning facility for its new Red Line fleet, due to begin service in 2024.
The response from my previous article, “North America Rail Supply and China: Why We Should be Concerned,” has been overwhelming and supportive. Apparently, I ripped a Band-Aid off a topic that’s been unfolding and finally being realized by many over the past decade.
Caveat: I am a free-market capitalist who believes in the importance of trade to elevate global prosperity. I believe in comparative advantage, and how countries excel at the supply of certain goods and services, to the benefit of others. I now believe that there needs to be market boundaries, for the long-term health of entire industries and the well-being and security of our citizens.
Chinese SOE (state-owned enterprise) CRRC (China Rail Rolling Stock Corp.) “is less innovative than European and Japanese firms, but mercantilist policies help it dominate in China and expand globally. This starves superior firms of revenue, reduces their R&D and slows the pace of global innovation,” according to a report from an independent Washington, D.C.-based think tank.
ARS Canada Rolling Stock Co. is entering the North American freight railcar market with support from a $3 million repayable contribution from the New Brunswick Provincial government in Canada. Here we go again.
Alstom has completed its $6.68 billion (€5.5 billion) acquisition of Bombardier Transportation, cementing its position as the second largest rail manufacturer in the world after CRRC.