Published bymasstransit

 

Talgo: Getting the Public On Board
BY LEAH HARNACK ON MAY 20, 2012


mt-talgo1 10719090Talgo Inc. has manufactured two intercity trainsets for Wisconsin at its plant in Milwaukee and caught in the middle of political crossfire, those trains may end up providing service elsewhere in the country.

On May 20, Talgo held an open house from noon to 3:00 for the public to, “be among the first to see the improvements awaiting riders on Amtrak’s Hiawatha line.”

Among a variety of technological advances, the trains feature lightweight construction, natural tilting and low center of gravity for a smooth ride, outlets between seats, Wi-Fi, closed-circuit TV and a variety of seating configurations for riders.

Political Firestorm

In 2009 the Wisconsin Department of Transportation purchased two trainsets with an option for two additional trains.

Lawmakers in Madison recently voted to mothball the trains, close the Talgo plant and continue to use the old Amtrak trains. They cite the much more expensive maintenance costs of the new trains as too big a burden on the state.

The vote means losing the $72 million already spent on buying the trains and a potential violation of the state’s contract with Talgo.

Talgo President and CEO Antonio Perez had been recently quoted saying, “I’m very disappointed with the way the facts were accounted for, how they were related and how the decision was made on very wrong assumptions of comparing very modern trains with other trains that need to be replaced.”

A Chance to See the New Trains

The Open House was a chance for the public to see what today's trains look like. And before the event even opened there was a line of people waiting to get a sneak peak.

There was a diverse crowd of people, including hardcore rail fans, families with kids, friends and families of employees, business members of the community, people from the local area and those that just wanted to see what the high-tech trains look like.

Milwaukee Alderman for the district, Willie C. Wade, was present and said there has been a great partnership between the city and Talgo until the state government changed. “It’s a great facility and workforce and we will get this back on track,” he stressed. “It’s a high-class, quality product.

“The state’s goal is for the people not to see this product … this kind of advanced technolgy.”

And that’s just what this open house was doing. Perez said, “We want the people to see the train sets and we want them to compare these trains to the old Hiawatha trains.” He said when people see these advanced, modern trains, “The people see the trainsets and want to see them in operating service.”


Read More...