The base term of the initial five-year contract, with an agency budget of around US$401m allows for two potential extensions in 2028 and 2033, which together would carry the total value to around US$1.4bn.
This agreement follows the 2012 award of the previous services contract and calls for Alstom’s continued operation and maintenance of the Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) Camden and Brunswick Lines, which are 39 miles (63km) and 74 miles (119km) long, respectively.
Alstom will continue to be responsible for train operations, customer service, crewing, maintenance of the locomotives and railcar fleet, as well as station and facilities management.
Alstom has acquired extensive experience and proven its expertise in maintaining MARC’s mixed fleet – consisting of 42 diesel locomotives, 60 MARC II passenger cars, and 54 Alstom BiLevel coaches (MultiLevel II MARC IV coaches) – which includes daily inspection, equipment servicing, preventive and corrective maintenance at the Maryland Transit Administration’s MARC Train maintenance facilities.
Under the broadened scope of this new contract, Alstom will continue operations and maintenance of the Camden and Brunswick Lines. In addition to piloting a fuel-saving project, this new scope also features some digital innovations that align with Alstom’s strategic plan to lead the way to smarter and more sustainable mobility.
Digital Twin is a virtualization tool for facilities and equipment. It fosters efficiency through reduced travel time, linked data and maintenance information, and enhanced training capabilities. 3D printing technology will be used to bring agility to certain maintenance activities and parts replacements. The Remote Assistance platform features connected glasses that will provide remote assistance, allowing real-time analysis and problem solving in the field by local and regional experts, regardless of location.
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to strengthen our long and proud relationship with the Maryland Transit Administration, and very proud of our performance since we initiated services in 2013,” said Michael Keroullé, Alstom Americas president. “We look forward to serving MARC with the continued high-performance standards we have demonstrated in the past decade.”