The Federal Railroad Administration, in cooperation
with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the South
Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA, formerly Tri-Rail),
is sponsoring the demonstration of advanced-technology DMU equipment
in revenue service as part of the Next Generation High-Speed Rail
Technology program.
The first DMU went into revenue service earlier
this year. Additional cars for this trainset are currently being
manufactured by Colorado Railcar Manufacturing and are expected
to enter service between Miami and West Palm Beach early in 2005.
Procurement of the second trainset began in the summer of 2004.
These DMU trainsets will fully comply with the
new passenger equipment safety standards recently adopted by FRA.
The grant funding will allow FRA and FDOT to evaluate the use of
such equipment in revenue service and provide an opportunity to
ascertain the level of public interest in expanding passenger rail
service in the future to help alleviate highway and airway congestion.
DMU technology offers potentially lower fuel consumption and life
cycle costs compared to traditional locomotive-hauled passenger
trains for many types pf passenger operations.
Grants totaling $9 million have been provided for
the project, the State partners will provide cost sharing estimated
at $16 million to support the program. The funds will be used to
document the DMU's compliance with the FRA safety standards; to
acquire DMU equipment through a competitive procurement process;
and to assess the service reliability and maintainability of the
equipment. FDOT will conduct the demonstration in cooperation with
the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA).
FRA's Next Generation High-Speed Rail Program is
intended to facilitate the development and deployment of technologies
that enhance the viability of high-speed passenger rail service.
The present focus of the program is in four primary areas: non-electric
locomotives, grade crossing risk mitigation, track and structures,
and advanced train control systems.
