LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kinkisharyo International’s new P3010 light rail vehicles rolled into their first revenue service today as the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) opened its Metro Gold Line Extension now serving Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte/City of Hope, Irwindale, Azusa and APU/Citrus College. The cars were built under a contract that was given the notice to proceed in August of 2012, meaning that the vehicles went from concept to revenue service in an unprecedented 43 months. Despite the speed of design and production, Metro officials have called the light rail vehicles (LRVs) among the highest quality they have ever received.
“This is a very proud moment for our company,” said Teiji Tani, the president of Kinkisharyo International. “We have worked extremely hard to deliver Metro’s LRVs on-time and with the highest possible quality. The people of Los Angeles County will enjoy reliable operation of these great cars for many years to come.”
“The on-time and high-quality delivery of these rail vehicles are an outstanding example of a true partnership between Metro and Kinkisharyo,” said Phillip Washington, CEO of Los Angeles County Metro. “We appreciated the extraordinary lengths to which Kinkisharyo has gone to ensure the success of this opening.”
The new rail vehicles are some of the most advanced in the United States. They are capable of operating on all six of Metro’s light rail lines. In addition to the Metro Gold Line, they will be put into revenue service when the final phase of the Expo Line opens on May 20, 2016.
In addition, the cars are fully Buy America-compliant. They are manufactured with components from the United States and Japan and assembled by American workers at a new plant in Palmdale, California. Since the beginning of the contract, Kinkisharyo has trained and employed over 200 American workers, and is in full compliance with the United States Employment Plan it filed as part of its contract bid.
All told, Kinkisharyo has delivered 21 cars to Metro for use on the Gold Line Extension and for integration testing on its other lines. Kinkisharyo and Metro have contracted for a total of 235 cars to be delivered over the life of the contract.
About Kinkisharyo International, LLC
Kinkisharyo International, LLC is the U.S. subsidiary of Kinki Sharyo Corporation of Osaka, Japan. The parent company has a nearly 100-year history of producing top quality rail cars ranging from streetcars to the famed Shinkansen bullet trains. In the U.S., Kinkisharyo International has established an unparalleled reputation for quality and on-time delivery and has produced hundreds of light rail vehicles for communities throughout the United States, including Boston, Jersey City, Santa Clara, Dallas, Phoenix and Seattle. The company is headquartered in El Segundo, California. For more information, see http://www.kinkisharyo-usa.com/.
