NJ TRANSIT LOW FLOOR LIGHT RAIL CAR IN THE FINAL DESIGN PHASE

On November 1, 1996, NJ TRANSIT issued a notice to proceed (NTP) to the Twenty-First Century Rail Corporation (TCF) to design, build, operate and maintain for 15 years, the Hudson Bergen Light Rail Transit System. This paper describes the main phases of the vehicle procurement for this unique type of contract. It provides an overview of the vehicle concept and discusses the dynamics of the cooperative efforts of NJ TRANSIT staff, its consultant, and the vehicle manufacturer. This ongoing effort resulted so far in an expedited assessment of the vehicle performance specification and in a thorough selection of the most reliable solutions for the critical subsystem and components of the car.