Yup, exactly. But I think we see different meanings in this. The fact that it is fully modernized, electrified, and that there are pre-existing stations is a huge benefit for them. Westerly, Kingston, Wickford, TF Green, and Providence will be be ready before RIDOT gets near this. They could, in theory, plunk some EMUs into the pre-existing system with few other capital costs. Amtrak electricity, Amtrak dispatching. The EMU has the benefit of being scalable. I don't think that RI will be at a point where it needs a 5 or 6 car set like an MBTA. They may only be running 2 or 4 cars. A big ol' 20 year old used diesel dragging around half empty cars is inefficient and out of scale for where I guess they will need to be demand wise. Plus, building a purpose built maintenance facility for electrics only from the get-go will be cost effective in the long run instead of a diesel facility to retrofit later.
No, it really doesn't work that way. Rolling stock is a massive, massive up-front capital cost. Without a pre-existing agency to buy cars in lots of 50-100 at a time and power at 20-40 at a time the economy of scale for new equipment is cost-prohibitive. For anyone. Especially when it comes to EMU's. The M8's cost $2.3M per car for a whopping 405 cars, with a still-unexercised option for 25 more. Plus nearly a billion extra in support costs to modernize the New Haven Line shops for them. If somebody were placing a one-time order for like 20 of them in isolation for just SLE or just South County CR they'd probably cost almost double per car because of the infrastructure and labor required at the factory for a short order. The MTA/CTDOT are getting a *lower* price point for keeping the Kawasaki factory equipped and staffed for 5 whole years to build these things. It's much the same for SEPTA's Silverliner V's...$2.3M for 120 Rotem EMU's, although that price has significantly sailed on them with all the teething problems those cars have had.
RIDOT is not big enough to swing that. There is also no facility east of New Haven capable of maintaining EMU's and no yard east of New Haven save for overstuffed Southampton that has existing overhead wires. So that's a half-bil for equipping the yards and building a maint facility, plus over $300M to build a pretty small EMU fleet, plus labor costs for hiring people out-of-state who know how to maintain those things. And, of course, there are no secondhand EMU's...the retiring M2/4/6's and Silverliner III's and in such bad shape they're barely operable, and cannot be rebuilt one more time because the original builders and design holders went out of business 25 years ago.
And if we're talking push-pull, there's also no acceptable vehicles on the aftermarket with the AEM-7's and ALP-44's completely shot and the HHP-8's very problematic without expert maintenance (i.e. Amtrak outsourcing). Price point for ordering only like 5 new ones is similarly extreme. That's why Amtrak decided a total 100% replacement of its whole electric push-pull power was cheaper than just replacing the AEM-7's and why NJ Transit did a wholesale replacement with ALP-46's. We don't, BTW, have enough time to place a supplemental order for Amtrak's new Sprinter locos before that factory shuts down and moves on in 1-1/2 years.
This is why it took SLE 23 years and waiting to get its first (still pending) contingent of new equipment. They went with 50-year-old beaters, convinced Amtrak to ADA and expand the existing Regional stops on the Shoreline, reopened a couple single low-platform shuttered ex-Amtrak stops in as-is condition with IOU's to ADA and double-platform them later (construction still underway at the last couple), and ran a cheap-cheap barebones operation for its first 10 years until the ridership supported wholesale makeover of all stops, better secondhand equipment, and extension to New London. Nobody can afford to spend that much in up-front capital cost for solo service-and-support on such a small fleet. They always end up shopping around for good-condition used coaches and diesels, because they're cheap. It's money they can't spend building the stations or getting the support structure in-place. It's doubly problematic for RIDOT because they are much smaller than CTDOT and have no in-state passenger rail facilities, labor, and fare collection system to support.
Tethering off the T is the only way they can do this. They already are full partners on a pool fleet that's getting modern reinforcements; they already get their whole maintenance done up in Boston; they already have a large modern diesel layover in Pawtucket that'll support expansion; and they already have a whole back-office fare collection system (itself a hugely expensive undertaking) to piggyback on. They ONLY have to spend on stations, pony up cash to Amtrak to build the extra tracks, and up their subsidy share to the T. It's already underway with T.F. Green and Wickford. And this is the only way both states will ever achieve get an economy of scale to buy some electrics...if they can pool the order with the T and if the T can partner to expand the existing Southampton electric facility to share with Amtrak (which means push-pull's more likely than EMU's, unless they can also swing electrifying the Fairmount in a package and get Readville wired for storage).
They wouldn't need billions for this. Later, they could drop in the Pawtucket/Central Falls station for relatively short money. If they could get onto an existing EMU order for a few more at a the same price, one assumes that Kawasaki would be pleased. Keeping the factory running without retooling and building a standard product is more profitable than starting up a new order/procurement.
Not that simple. For one, the M8 order is drawing down in 2014. And the Silverliner order is already done (which is why Rotem's finally starting to pump out the T's new bi-levels in quantity). There's no way anyone here has the money to make a purchasing decision before the M8's are done and the factory shuts down or moves on to other things. And an order here would be somewhat different because our EMU's wouldn't need guts for third rail power or two types of overhead voltage, and would probably go for a larger carbody because we don't have the extreme height restrictions of a Grand Central or Penn. It would on labor costs push it to new-order unit cost with poor economy of scale for a pretty small order.
Our chance to glom off somebody else's order will probably come when NJ Transit replaces its ancient Arrows. And they are thinking of going with a wild new, never before done bi-level power car design where 1 EMU unit pulls two off-shelf bi-level coaches (i.e. something like a 7-car train would be power car + 2 coaches + power car + 2 coaches + power car). That might be a 2020 option if they go joint-order. But RI/MA's would still be a different carbody height because NJT has to do very cramped shorter bi's to get into Penn. And Fairmount electrification probably has to be in the picture to make the unit cost and cost of retrofitting Readville for storage worth it.
Pawtucket's not short money, BTW. Tons of track work required to the freight/FRIP track Providence-Central Falls to get it up to par with the Providence-Wickford upgrades. Plus major interlocking reconfiguration near the P&W freight yard to turn it into a revenue track. The whole Central Falls-Wickford length of it is un-electrified, so tack on that cost whenever we switch from diesel to electric. And since it's such a major transfer point for RIPTA buses it's going to be a significant-size station. Easily their most expensive build after T.F. Green, but obviously very very worth it for the ridership and overlapping services.
The Woonsocket line is a bigger prospect but again, the demand seems unlikely to justify a big 'ol diesel dragging some half empty cars. If they can design a service commensurate with demand, they will be better off in the long run. It seems to be about 15 miles from where the line leaves the NEC to Woonsocket. I don't know if you could even electrify it given that it is an active freight line. Even if electrifying costs $10 million/mile and stations are $10-$20 million you are still less than a typical Mass. megaproject.
Woonsocket's really not that bad. Historic Woonsocket station already exists in preserved state, so cost of a modern build is modest. Only 2 other intermediate stops required, and since it's a mostly single-track freight clearance route you're only talking single mini-high platforms. There's a small yard past Woonsocket station that P&W rarely uses that can be repurposed as a layover. And the line doesn't need double-tracking--just 1 or 2 passing sidings--until they start thinking about going all the way to Worcester. Their (2009?) feasibility study priced it out pretty nice. Little in the way of track upgrades because the existing 60 MPH welded rail will suffice for the short distance and curves, and all grade crossings have existing full protection. Just requires the signal system, which might be $60-80M for the relatively short distance. Their proposed service pattern for it was Woonsocket-Wickford, which is why all the stations down there will get 2 local + 2 passing tracks while Kingston and Westerly will be smaller. As that's the heart of the ridership market it's a good double-up of coverage south of where Providence Line service terminates (likely cut back to T.F. Green when all else is up and running).
It's second priority, but good value-for-money. And P&W is 100% onboard for it.
