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Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Dec. 15 signed a $329 million contract with Alstom Transport to overhaul 364 of the agency’s 764 cars.


"This is the largest single contract that [WMATA] has ever awarded in our long and distinguished history," said WMATA General Manager Richard White in a prepared statement. "The rehabilitation of these rail cars over the next four-plus years will be a major benefit to our customers and will enable us to maintain our longtime commitment to the safety, dependability and reliability of our rail-car fleet."


The contract involves WMATA’s B2000/3000 cars built between 1983 and 1988. Work to be done would include upgrading the existing propulsion system with ONIX 2000 A/C traction drives, and installing an advanced cab signaling system.


Alstom manufactures the propulsion and signaling systems at its Rochester, N.Y., plant; rehabilitation work would take place at Alstom’s Hornell, N.Y., plant. Delivery is expected to begin in August 2002; cars would enter service that fall. Alstom plans to complete delivery by June 2005.