Other Cities Report Problems with Honolulu Rail Contractor
03/21/2011Troubles meeting deadlines have plagued the company awarded the $574 million contract to provide rail cars and a control center for Honolulu.
The parent company of AnsaldoHonolulu in 2009 lost a contract with Los Angeles County after complaints about missed deadlines.
AnsaldoHonolulu is a joint venture of AnsaldoBreda and AnsaldoSTS. Mayor Peter Carlisle announced the contract Monday, along with a $372 million contract for the second phase of the guideway to Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. The city said the contracts will save it $165 million compared with previous estimates.
Carlisle emphasized the savings at a press conference, but didn't delve into Ansaldo's record.
After complaints AnsaldoBreda was more than three years late delivering train cars, a $300 million contract between the company and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority fell apart in October 2009. The company had already delivered too-heavy cars, which required the Los Angeles transit agency to reinforce some bridges. Ansaldo blamed the transportation authority for a botched order.
The deal collapse also dissolved a plan to build a factory that would have created hundreds of local jobs, according to the Los Angeles Times' reporting about the saga.
