Thursday, February 26, 2015

Ann Arbor transit official urged MDOT not to lease costly railcars

Ann Arbor transit official urged MDOT not to lease costly railcars:
"LANSING — The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority — which is at the center of two proposed commuter rail services in southeast Michigan — urged the Michigan Department of Transportation not to lease rail passenger cars that are now sitting idle, costing taxpayers more than $1 million a year in rent, according to records obtained by the Free Press.
 In 2009, more than a year before MDOT signed a contract to lease and refurbish the double-decker railcars, which since have cost the state about $12 million, an Ann Arbor transit official told MDOT the cars were not suitable for proposed commuter rail services because they didn't meet federal requirements and tried to steer state officials toward other cars available for sale at a much lower price, the records show."


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