CHINA TRAIN DEAL RATTLES T
Herald obtains closed-door meeting minutes
Minutes from closeddoor meetings held last year reveal an escalating number of defects with the new Orange and Red Line cars and repeated criticism by the MBTA that its Chinese contractor was taking a lackadaisical approach to resolving them.
These documents, obtained by the Herald through a public records request, show that CRRC only delivered nine of the 34 two-car train sets it promised in January 2022, reused safety-critical hardware on trains, and submitted “approval to proceed” forms to bypass inspections where cars were missing materials.
Similarly, the minutes showed, the Chinese company “force-closed” quality item reports issued by the MBTA without actually resolving identified defects and making the necessary repairs at its Springfield facility, which the T described in a May 31 document as “extremely concerning and unacceptable.”
“MBTA stated that CRRC was trying to avoid real solutions to problems despite MBTA’s efforts to work cooperatively with CRRC,” an Oct. 4 production status review meeting document stated. “MBTA stated that CRRC people/departments needed to be held accountable to resolve their issues, rather than finger pointing.”
The minutes, which provide more insight into a stunning amount of problems that have plagued the roughly $870.5 million procurement of new Orange and Red Line cars, serve as a timeline of sorts for where things stand today.
MBTA Interim General Manager Jeffrey Gonneville said last month that the T expects CRRC, which hasn’t delivered any new train sets since July, will miss its latest deadlines of December 2023 and September 2026 for the remaining Orange and Red Line cars, respectively.
The company is already nearly two years behind schedule for the Orange Line and three years behind schedule for the Red Line, based on the respective dates set in the initial contract: January 2022 and September 2023.
Based on the terms of its contract, CRRC could eventually face daily fines of $500 per day per late car. Gonneville said the T is taking a fresh look at the 2014 contract.
While Gov. Maura Healey has stated her focus isn’t on enforcing those fines, she is taking steps to put pressure on the Chinese company, which only delivered 18 Orange Line cars and nine Red Line cars last year, despite being under contract to deliver eight per month.
Healey said last month that she instructed the MBTA to put together an independent team of experts to stamp out problems hindering the new train car procurement.
These have included a battery explosion, braking problems and improperly fitting parts that led to new trains being pulled from service several times. A list of identified production issues was 20 pages long in a Nov. 10 document, the last meeting minutes provided to the Herald.
That team has now been formed, according to Karissa Hand, a Healey spokesperson.
The governor has engaged Hatch, formerly LTK Engineering; Wilmer Hale and Holland & Knight for this working group, Hand said, adding that their efforts are already underway.
“Hatch’s expertise will be valuable in understanding the barriers that have kept CRRC MA from reaching the car delivery levels,” Hand said.
“Wilmer Hale and H&K’s expertise will be valuable in evaluating the contract, tariff and regulatory implications of potential changes to the contract that would enhance performance and increase the rate of delivery and ensure safety.”
The cost of this working group will be accommodated within the project’s existing budget, she said.
Healey’s transportation secretary, Gina Fiandaca, visited the Springfield facility on Monday “to see firsthand the new car assembly operations and to underscore that getting new Red and Orange Line cars into service safely and according to MBTA manufacturing specifications is a priority,” said MassDOT spokesperson Jacqueline Goddard.
This visit was not related to an audit or inspection, Goddard said.
In addition to not meeting its deadlines, the MBTA also determined CRRC won’t be able to make its eight-car per month contractual obligation, with Gonneville saying four cars per month is more likely.
MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo said the MBTA will start taking delivery of new cars again this month, with four new Orange Line cars expected in February.
“As the interim general manager said at the last board meeting, the MBTA and its contractor are continuing to work through technical and engineering issues to enhance the production process and increase the rate of delivery,” Pesaturo said.
Only 78 of 152 new Orange Line cars and 12 of 252 Red Line cars have been delivered.