Bombardier has pulled out of an Amtrak-led procurement competition for new high-speed trains for the USA’s Northeast Corridor.
The Canadian manufacturer has said it did not have enough time to update its proposal after Amtrak altered its specification for the equipment.
In January, Amtrak and the California High-Speed Rail Authority launched a joint procurement programme for high-speed trains. In June, this was cancelled and the two organisations said they intended to issue separate requests for proposals (RFP).
Amtrak plans to order up to 28 high-speed trains to replace the current Acela Express rolling stock.
Bombardier’s North American spokesman, Maryanne Roberts, said: “Unfortunately, the time remaining before the due date for technical proposals was not sufficient for us to make the necessary adjustments to our proposal. We did request an extension of time, but our request was not granted.
“We are disappointed, but look forward to possibly working with Amtrak again in the future.”
However, Bombardier is still involved in California’s high-speed train procurement programme. Last month, the authority confirmed that Bombardier had been one of several international companies to register an interest in the tender. Other companies included Alstom, AnsaldoBreda, CSR Corporation Limited, Hyundai Rotem, Kawasaki Rail Car, Siemens, Talgo and CNR Tangshan/SunGroup Industry.
