Second chance?

A contract to rebuild PATCO’s fleet of aging rail cars could be approved later this month.  But will it?

The DRPA, which runs the PATCO high speed line between Philadelphia and South Jersey, gave committee approval to the French company Alstom Transportation Inc. to rebuild the cars.  Board approval is still pending.  The company outbid a Canadian company, Bombardier Inc., with a 194 million dollar bid.  Bombardier had bid about 230 million.

But according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Bombardier wants to resubmit its bid.  It says it can shave off about 15 million and provide new car shells rather than use existing ones.

It’s not clear how Bombardier was able to save such a large amount and provide new shells.  It’s also unclear whether DRPA will reopen the bid since the awarding process has already taken two years.