BOSTON — Days before the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority removed some of its newest rapid transit cars from service for the latest in a series of mechanical issues, the agency claimed in a letter that the manufacturer of those cars “has completely abandoned its core responsibilities and commitment to lead, monitor, and support quality management,” the Boston Globe reports.
The letter, obtained by the Boston Globe, from MBTA Deputy Director Mark DeVitto to the project manager of CRRC MA — the Massachusetts affiliate of Chinese equipment maker CRRC — is dated Dec. 22. On Dec. 30, the MBTA said it had removed nine of the CRRC-built Orange Line cars from service because of power-cable issues with the potential to cause electrical arcing [see “MBTA sidelines some Orange Line cars …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 31, 2022]. That is the latest in a long list of issues that has led the cars to be pulled from service or pushed their delivery more than a year behind schedule.
The letter lists some 16 specific complaints, including “chronic workmanship quality issues with electrical assembly work, wire crimping, wire terminations, etc.,” and “failure to manage handling, maintenance, and storage requirements for critical equipment (gear units) in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.”
An MBTA spokesman told the Globe in an email that CRRC has said it will respond to the letter this week, and that the MBTA “continues to assess all available remedies” to the equipment issues. Those include penalties of up to $500 per car day for late delivery [see “CRRC order for new MBTA cars falls futher behind …,” News Wire, Sept. 30, 2022].
Even government gets what they paid for.
Low bid. You get what you pay for.
And the coaches for SEPTA are nowhere to be seen.
And from a rider of SEPTA, may they remain nowhere to be seen.
“The Price of Low Price”