The T, Stadler to sign TEX Rail contract

TEX Rail is rolling closer to fruition with a newly announced contract expected between the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) and Stadler Bussnang AG.

At a Tuesday June 9 ceremony, members of The T and Stadler are expected to sign a contract for the manufacture and delivery of eight diesel multiple unit rail vehicles for TEX Rail, according to a news release.

The signing is planned for noon at The T’s Intermodal Transportation Center along Jones Street in downtown.

The ITC is one of the 10 stations where the rail vehicles will operate when TEX Rail service begins in 2018 from downtown Fort Worth, northeast across Tarrant County to Grapevine and into Terminal B at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

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Planning to attend the Tuesday signing are Stadler president, board chairman and CEO Peter Spuhler, as well as T Board Chair Scott Mahaffey and T president-CEO Paul Ballard. Other T board members and Stadler representatives also are expected to attend.

The T began the procurement process for DMU vehicles in 2014 due to the three-year lead time for developing specifications, production, delivery and operation training for staff.

At its April 2015 meeting, The T board approved an agreement with Stadler for a contract, contingent upon TEX Rail’s authorization to enter into the engineering phase that immediately precedes the start of construction. The Federal Transit Administration gave that approval on June 2 that now allows The T to finalize a rail manufacturing contract.

The TEX Rail commuter rail will run on a 27-mile corridor with ten stations from downtown Fort Worth, northeast across Tarrant County to Grapevine and into Terminal B at D/FW International Airport. It will have a projected average daily ridership of more than 10,000 in its initial year of service.