CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LOS ANGELES
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board agreed Thursday to continue talks with an Italian rail manufacturer, which is seeking a $300-million deal to build 100 light-rail cars and has promised to open a local plant if it secures the contract.
The majority of board members voted to delay a final decision for two months. The sole no vote was county Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who renewed his call to ask AnsaldoBreda and other rail companies to submit competitive bids.
Other board members favored getting more details on a last-minute performance bond guarantee by AnsaldoBreda for the full value of the potential 100-car contract.
The MTA’s staff has criticized AnsaldoBreda’s performance under its base 50-car contract because the cars are late, nearly 6,000 pounds overweight and incompatible with others in the Metro fleet.
MTA chief Art Leahy told board members Thursday that although AnsaldoBreda has promised to fix the weight and compatibility issues for the cars, he could “not find an adequate basis for having confidence that the pledges made would be achieved.”
-- Maeve Reston
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