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8/16/2010
Last week, Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) received six responses to a request for proposals (RFP) the California agency issued this spring for the manufacture and delivery of diesel multiple units (DMUs). On April 22, SMART issued the RFP seeking a fleet of 18 DMUs, with an option to add nine more. DMUs are self-contained rail vehicles that feature engines in each car, enabling cars to operate independently or in sets of two to three cars. The agency received “six detailed proposals” from manufacturers based in North America, Europe and Asia, according to an Aug. 11 prepared statement. SMART officials didn't identify the bidders. Other rail transit agencies have “piggy-backed on SMART’s RFP, adding options for several dozen additional rail cars,” according to SMART. SMART’s technical evaluation team, which comprises agency staff, consultants and “industry experts,” will rank the proposals; then, SMART will enter negotiations with one or more of the top-ranked firms, according to the agency. SMART staff expects to make a contract award recommendation to the agency’s board in early 2011. The SMART project is estimated to cost about $590 million, most of which will come from Measure Q, a one-quarter percent sales tax increase approved by 69.6 percent of Marin and Sonoma voters in 2008. Construction activity should start in 2011, with train service scheduled to begin in 2014.