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A\u00a0conceptual rendering shows what the inside of\u00a0Austin\u2019s future light rail trains could look like when completed.<\/p>\n
Austin Transit Partnership<\/p>\n
Austin transit leaders on Wednesday approved the first phase of a $352.8 million contract to build the vehicles that will eventually carry passengers on the city\u2019s long-awaited $7.1 billion light-rail system<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Austin Transit Partnership board unanimously agreed to award $39 million to the U.S. division of Swiss company Stadler for the vehicles\u2019 preliminary design. Future phases, including final vehicle design and manufacturing, must receive separate approval from the board before moving forward.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The electric trains, which will carry about 240 people apiece, will be based on Stadler\u2019s existing Citylink platform<\/a>, but with some custom features. The vehicles will be designed alongside the rest of the system to maximize compatibility, ATP staff said.<\/p>\n Stadler\u00a0beat out three other bidders to win the contract, according to ATP executive Brad Cummings. Stadler\u2019s bid was the second lowest by a small margin, but the Citylink vehicles offer more features and better value, Cummings said. The model is currently in use across Europe and in Mexico.<\/p>\n Stadler U.S., headquartered in Utah, has produced vehicles for other Texas transit systems, including Capital Metro\u2019s Red Line and Dallas Area Rapid Transit.<\/p>\n The Stadler contract marks the last of three major procurements for ATP, the local government entity responsible for building the voter-backed rail system. ATP previously chose Austin Rail Constructors<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a joint venture between civil infrastructure firms Stacy Witbeck and Sundt Construction\u00a0\u2014 to design and build the system. Kiewit Austin Partnership, another joint venture between Kiewit Building Group and Austin Commercial, will construct\u00a0the maintenance facility.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Questions over cost<\/p>\n The cost of the vehicle contract had raised concerns among those questioning the need for tailor-made vehicles as federal funding and legal challenges remain in limbo<\/a>. The Federal Transit Administration has not yet awarded an expected $4 billion grant for the project, though it has signaled confidence in the plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to make sure that we\u2019re trying to be independent and challenge the staff on the bloats of contracts, because right now, as we all know, taxpayer money is at risk,\u201d said Jeffery Bowen, a City Hall watchdog, during Wednesday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n A conceptual rendering shows what the Austin Light Rail system could look like along the Drag.<\/p>\n Austin Transit Partnership<\/p>\n Voters approved the light-rail line in 2020 as part of Project Connect, a ballot measure that authorized a 20% increase to the city’s property tax rate for transit improvements. Under the plan, the city would transfer that revenue to\u00a0ATP, which would use the money to repay bonds issued to finance the project\u2019s construction.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Early proposals envisioned as many as 28 miles of track across the city, but local officials later reduced the plan to fewer than 10 miles, citing rising construction costs. As currently envisioned, the light-rail system would stretch from 38th Street to Oltorf Street, while another branch would take passengers from near Lady Bird Lake to just inside Texas 71 near \u2014 but not to \u2014 Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Construction could begin next year and finish by 2033.<\/p>\n A Monday\u00a0report from CBS Austin<\/a> (KEYE-TV) became a talking point during Wednesday\u2019s meeting. In the report, New York University transportation expert Eric Goldwyn told the television station that the contract is \u201cextremely expensive\u201d and perhaps the priciest he\u2019d ever seen. Dividing the total contract amount by the 21 vehicles ordered would put the cost at $16.8 million per vehicle.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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