New Vote on Driverless Trains Sought

The furor over a decision to grant a Japanese firm the job of building high-tech driverless trains for a major link of Los Angeles’ mass transit system escalated sharply Friday, with several elected officials demanding reconsideration of the vote.

The Los Angeles City Council called on Mayor Tom Bradley and other Los Angeles County Transportation Commission members to delay finalization of a $121.8-million car contract for the Norwalk-to-LAX Green Line.

Approving a motion by Councilman Nate Holden, the council asked Bradley and the city’s other two commission representatives to appear before the council Wednesday to discuss how a U.S. firm lost the contract even though it was the low bidder. “Why should we let Japan use our money to do their research and development?” Holden asked.

Bradley, who backed an American bidder, Idaho-based Morrison Knudsen, will appear, a spokesman said.

Despite creating far fewer U.S. jobs and bidding a higher cost, Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. last month won the contract after an intense, high-powered lobbying campaign. Commission officials who supported Sumitomo, said the Japanese company was more experienced and better qualified than its American competitor. Both companies were proposing driverless trains based on the commission’s bid requirements.

Another critic, Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar), announced Friday that he would conduct an investigative hearing next week on the underlying decision to press ahead with the pioneering driverless technology, despite cost overruns. Katz, chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, said the Green Line is “becoming a massive ‘green hole’ for taxpayer dollars.’ ”

A potential mayoral candidate in 1993, Katz said he would call commission officials and representatives of the two competing firms to testify.

Also on Friday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina’s representative on the Transportation Commission formally called for the driverless car vote to be reversed.

Jerry Hertzberg, Molina’s alternate on the panel, opposed the driverless cars, saying they offer no advantage and will prove far more costly.

Instead, manually operated cars, similar to those currently used on the Long Beach Blue Line, should be used and contracts should stress local job creation, Hertzberg said. The motion could be considered by the full commission this month.