El Paso, TX — Bid Winners Selected

September 2015

The elpasoinc.com web site reported that the board of the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority selected the top scoring bidders for the infrastructure construction and rolling stock rehabiitation: Paso del Norte Trackworks and Brookville Equipment Corp.

Paso del Norte Trackworks, a joint venture of California-based Granite Construction Co. and New York-based RailWorks Track Systems, would be responsible for building the infrastructure, including tracks, maintenance and storage facilities, power stations and overhead wires. It outbid local company Jordan Foster for the job. The team recently completed constructing the modern streetcar system in Tucson and could break ground in El Paso as soon as January.

Pennsylvania-based Brookville Equipment, with extensive experience in remanufacturin PCC cars, would be responsible for resurrecting El Paso’s old streetcars, stored for decades outside in the desert.

Six of the old streetcars will be sent to Brookville Equipment’s facilities in Pennsylvania and remanufactured. The initial plan was to rebuild seven streetcars, but the cost of restoring the streetcars was greater than expected, $3.1 million per car, officials said. They hope to add a seventh car later using contingency funds that may be freed up if the project goes well.

The cars, once rebuilt, will be air conditioned, will be warranteed for three-years, and will come with detailed operating manuals and a supply of spare parts. Brookville will also train El Paso personnel.

No target date for opening of the line has been set yet, but the process will likely take multiple years.