I don't want to start a controversy, but the current Acela problems appear to be one more example of the "Bureaucratic cart trying to lead the Expert horse"! I have over 40 years experience of trying to deliver "State of the Art" technology to the US Government Bureaucracy. If I can believe the many media accounts describing the current Acela Power Unit problems, it becomes apparent that the Amtrak operating staff were convinced that they were more competent as design engineers than the Bombardier engineering staff. My point is the Amtrak Operating Dept. knows what is required to satisfy the riding public and to operate trains. On the other hand the Bombardier Engineering Dept., with many years of experience, knows how to design trainsets that can meet Amtrak's operating requirements. The problem arises when the Government (Amtrak) dictates absurd detail design requirements to the supplier (Bombardier), then forces the supplier to deliver a defective product by threatening to withhold payment if the supplier does not follow the many times amended specification to the letter. Bombardier, being a product supplier, must(!) defer to their customer (who is paying the bills) and say ... "yes sir, you obviously know what is best!" Check back over the various comments and press releases of the past 3-4 years and you will read that Bombardier consistently said ... "Are you sure?", and "We don't think that's a good idea, but if you insist ... !" Based on what I have read, and my experience, Bombardier will have no problem winning the lawsuit filed by Amtrak against them. [ 16. August 2002, 01:24: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]
I sure won't dispute any of what you've written...and none of it appears controversial, really. What's the horrible thing is that David Gunn is stuck trying to clean up Warrington's mess. (Ah, if only Warrington could have taken the heat for that personally...!!!) If cooler heads prevail, the lawsuits will be withdrawn and Amtrak and Bombardier can work together to actually refine the trainsets to make them work better. (Either that, or it's bye-bye Acelas altogether.) NJ Transit will have to contend with Warrington for the next few years...it's a good thing that the ALP-46 locos were ordered before his presidency began (but there's still plenty of time to mess up the planned PL42AC diesel loco order). I sincerely hope that he doesn't interfere with the planned NJ Transit bi-level car fleet as he and his cronies did with the Acela Express fiasco...! :-(
