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Citing a desire to strengthen the partnership Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority developed with CAF — the contractor selected to manufacture the agency’s recently ordered Series 5000 rail cars — WMATA June 22 withdrew inspection service and requested that CAF discontinue assembly work taking place at AAI Corp. in Hunt Valley, Md.



Despite Spain-based CAF’s proven European track record, WMATA’s 192-car order represents the company’s first U.S. contract and first U.S.-based final assembly plant.

"We have taken this extraordinary step to provide a ‘time-out’ period so that we can work with our contract partners as they develop a quality assurance plan of action," said WMATA General Manager Richard White in a prepared statement. "This action plan is designed to get at the root of all issues that need to be resolved to ensure that we receive a first-rate rail car that meets our specifications and that we can certify as safe and reliable before any car goes into service for our customers."



The cars have eight computers controlling various functions including propulsion, braking, AC components and doors. The software in at least six of these computers must communicate for the cars to operate properly, says Chuck Stanford, WMATA chief engineer, adding that just when glitches have been worked out, others crop up.

Officials hope that suspending work at Hunt Valley will enable CAF to concentrate on what needs to be adjusted on the first four cars before they can enter service. The action also is designed to reassure WMATA and CAF that the remaining cars will go through acceptance testing at a steady pace and enter service without the delays they’ve experienced with the first four cars.



The action does not affect acceptance testing taking place at Greenbelt Rail Yard, or any work taking place in Spain. And although officials have not offered a date by which the plan should be complete or when work may resume at Hunt Valley, they do not expect it to be prolonged.



"We will place no rail cars in service until we are 101 percent sure that these cars are safe to go into service," said White. "Yes, we want our customers to experience convenience during their travels on Metro; however, when we have to make a choice between these twin goals."