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The Southern California Regional Rail Authority recently awarded a contract to Korea’s Rotem Co. to provide passenger-rail cars for commuter railroad Metrolink.

The $176.3 million contract calls for 54 trailer cars and 33 lead-position cab cars. The agency also plans to exercise two options totaling $35.6 million for 20 additional cars once funding becomes available.

The contract includes another option for 14 trailer cars and 10 cab cars to be delivered to the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which operates Tri-Rail commuter service. Transit agencies sometimes partner up to purchase cars to reduce costs. If all options are exercised, the contract value would be $306 million.

The cars will be the first North American commuter-rail vehicles to incorporate crash energy management technology designed to improve passenger and crew safety in collisions, according to the authority. Metrolink officials worked with the Federal Railroad Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center transportation safety research team to develop the design specifications.

The rolling stock subsidiary of the Hyundai Automotive Group, Rotem expects to deliver the first trailer car in December 2008 and first cab car in February 2009.