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Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) issued a request for proposals for 130 bi-level passenger cars that will operate on intercity passenger-rail routes in California, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Missouri and possibly Iowa. The order is valued at $551 million.

Funded through the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail program, the standardized cars must meet Buy America provisions that require all components to be built by American workers and with American-produced materials.

“Building standardized rolling stock will provide an unprecedented opportunity to leverage Buy America requirements, ensuring maximum economic benefit for taxpayer-funded transportation investments,” Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo said in a prepared statement.

The standardized cars also will drive down lifecycle costs, enable more manufacturers and suppliers to compete and help re-establish the U.S. domestic supply chain, according to USDOT. The common design also will make it easier to train personnel, stock parts, and perform maintenance and conduct repairs.

USDOT plans to choose a manufacturer in fall 2012. The cars would be delivered beginning in 2015.

In preparation for the car order, USDOT partnered with the Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership to connect large rail-car builders with more than 34,000 domestic suppliers, and help them retool production capabilities to meet demand.

The effort to purchase standardized intercity passenger-rail equipment has been led by the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act Section 305 Next Generation Corridor Equipment Pool Committee. The committee comprises representatives from interested states, the FRA, Amtrak, host freight railroads, passenger-rail equipment manufacturers and suppliers, and other passenger-rail operators. The committee also has developed specifications for high-performance diesel locomotives that can travel up to 125 mph, as well as single-level passenger cars.