Trinity Metro approves .1M for rail expansion services and equipment

Trinity Metro approves $3.1M for rail expansion services and equipment

Trinity Metro is preparing for its TEXRail expansion south of downtown Fort Worth by spending more money — about $3.19 million — on preconstruction services and needed equipment for commuter rail.The transit agency’s board of directors on Jan. 21 approved funding for $300,820 to extend preconstruction services to October 2025. The project — not to exceed more than $2 million — will provide more time to complete stakeholder coordination and third-party agreements as well as secure additional funding to move the project forward, according to a Trinity Metro staff report.Funding for six contracts will come from Trinity Metro’s 2025 capital budget with more funds to be considered from proposed future budgets.A 2.1-mile TEXRail expansion is planned into the Near Southside district to a new station in the Fort Worth Medical District. The project also includes the purchase of four new TEXRail trains and a rail yard expansion. New track will be built within existing railroad rights-of-way land owned by Union Pacific and the Fort Worth & Western Railroad as well as additional properties acquired from the city of Fort Worth, Texas Department of Transportation and Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center. Groundbreaking on the project could occur in late 2025, Trinity Metro President and CEO Richard W. Andreski told the Fort Worth City Council Jan. 12.Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a $25 million RAISE grant for Trinity Metro to extend TEXRail. Although the estimated $167 million project still needs up to $20 million to begin construction, the grant is intended to aid in building the extension from downtown T&P Station. TEXRail, which runs nearly 27 miles from downtown to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, experienced booming ridership in 2024, according to Trinity Metro data.Fort Worth Transit Partners, a joint venture of Alameda, California-based contractor Stacy Witbeck and Sundt Construction of Irving, was awarded the construction manager at risk contract in June 2023. The contract calls for preconstruction services for design review and preliminary cost estimates during the final design phase and potential negotiation of a guaranteed maximum price for the rail extension project. The partnership has committed to spending at least 14% of the contract on subcontracts and supplies from minority- and women-owned businesses. The Trinity Metro board also approved funding for $522,072.33 with a 10% contingency of $52,207.23 to complete the final design of the expansion of the Mahaffey Maintenance Facility, the railyard that will house the four new TEXRail trains. The contract with Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., for a total amount not to exceed $574.279.56, calls for a completion of the final railyard design within a year and includes staff salaries for assigned workers, an audited Federal Acquisition Regulation overhead rate and a profit percentage of 10% for the prime contractor and 8% for subcontractors. In addition, the transit agency also approved a $945,176.58 supplemental agreement with Bowman Engineering & Consulting for engineering designs for signals and communications systems. The revised amount is not to exceed about $12.8 million.“Completing final design for signals and communications systems will define the overall scope of work, which should lead to increased competition and better pricing during construction bidding,” a staff report said. “The resulting potential cost savings of completing the signal and communications systems designs are approximately $1.5 (million).”Trinity Metro also approved funding for a five-year train control software services contract with Herzog Technologies Inc. to strengthen fiber optic service on the agency’s infrastructure since major outages have been reported within the last two years. To bolster the system, a secondary fiber optic line will be installed with a cellular backup and supporting software at various TEXRail and Trinity Railway Express commuter rail locations. That contract is set for a cost of $418,512.27, plus a 5% contingency of $20,925.61, for a total cost not to exceed $439,437.88 as part of a $7.5 million contract. Dallas Area Rapid Transit, which co-owns the Trinity Railway Express with Trinity Metro, will pay $16,962 for its portion of the service.The agency also approved $498,749.40 to amend its contract with Wabtec Railway Electronics to purchase positive train control kits for four new TEXRail trains. That contract includes hardware, program management support and installation validation. The amendment calls for the revised total amount not to exceed $12.1 million.Trinity Metro will also spend about $440,000 for the purchase of capital spare parts for Trinity Railway Express locomotives, part of a $880,000 contract shared with DART. That contract is with Progressive Rail Locomotive Inc.Andreski urged staff to consider all types of funding resources, including grants, to diversify the agency’s funding since sales tax revenue can be unpredictable.“Keep an eye on that,” he said.Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org. News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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