Ansaldo rail contract signed

HONOLULU — After months of additional review of the contractor’s financial capacity, the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) signed a contract today with Ansaldo Honolulu JV for the Honolulu rail project’s core systems.

The core systems contract with Ansaldo Honolulu JV includes the design, construction and delivery of the train vehicles, the train control systems and the operation and maintenance of the rail system after installation.

The HART board’s Finance and Project Oversight committees also conducted two separate meetings on Ansaldo’s financial capacity, and that of its parent company, Finmeccanica, in addition to eight board meeting discussions. Most recently, the committees held a lengthy public meeting Friday with Ansaldo’s top officials, who answered detailed questions about the company’s finances. At both meetings, Ansaldo officials were questioned extensively about the joint venture’s financial capacity to fulfill the contract.

Ansaldo Honolulu JV was awarded the $1.4-billion core systems contract in March. That contract includes $574 million for the design, construction and delivery of 80 train vehicles and train control systems, and $830 million in operations and maintenance over a 14-year period. The contract calls for the delivery of the first 16 vehicles in 2014 and for the remainder in 2018.

The core system’s contract is the latest milestone for the rail project, with 50 percent of its design and construction contracts already awarded. The project officially broke ground earlier this year and utility relocation work is now in full swing in preparation for the construction of the transit guideway in February 2012. The first section of the transit system from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium is expected to open in 2015; the second section from East Kapolei to Kalihi in 2017; and the entire system from East Kapolei to Ala Moana in 2019.