Patco Thinks Delayed Rail Cars Will Be Ready For Field Testing Soon
By David Madden
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Patco had hoped to show off the first of its newly refurbished train cars by now, but problems have delayed that.
The first eight cars with updated interiors inside the old shells are almost ready for a 500-mile test run. But DRPA chief engineer Michael Venuto says plans to roll them out last spring had to be postponed a bit.
"We're working on some software and communication issues with the cars as they test along our tracks," he said today.
Now, the hope is to get those bugs worked out within a month or so.
Meanwhile, work continues on other cars in the 120-car fleet, most of which date back to the '60s. The transit agency hopes to get the $194-million project completed on time, in 2016.
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