6913G618SS0002_RFI_Flatcars.pdf

6913G618SS0002

Request for Information (RFI)

New Heavy Duty Railway Flatcars

RFI No: 6913G6-18-SS-0002

Response Date: February 21, 2018

This is a request for information (RFI) only. There is no solicitation available. The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) is requesting information as part of its market research regarding obtaining new railway flatcars.

Background The Volpe Center is an innovative, federal, fee-for-service organization within the U.S.

Department of Transportation (DOT). Our work focuses on the application of advanced technology to the improvement of transportation safety, security and logistics, and is performed primarily within DOT, but also supports other federal agencies and state, local, and international entities. All of the Volpe Center’s DOT work supports the goals of the DOT’s Strategic Plan: Safety, Mobility, Global Connectivity, Environmental Stewardship, Security, and Organizational Excellence. Non-DOT work focuses on the specific goals of the particular agency in the general areas of transportation and/or logistics. Typically, this work also aligns with DOT’s strategic plan and/or provides with future benefits to the DOT.

The Volpe Center is providing overall program management support including:

engineering, testing, quality assurance, risk management, acquisition support, manufacturing oversight and assisting with the training, shipping and documentation requirements, engineering and rail equipment acquisition support to address critical transportation issues in the U.S. Army’s Rail Modernization Program. The U.S. Army’s rail fleet is in critical need of new, modern equipment to increase the efficiency and safety of operators and cargo transported by railroad on U.S. Army installations.

Scope The Volpe Center has provided railroad related technical support to the Department of Defense (DOD) starting in 1989. Currently the Army has requirements to upgrade its rail rolling stock.

The Volpe Center is releasing this RFI to identify interested parties, and solicit information on the following railway rolling stock to include but not limited to;

a. Availability and delivery schedules if applicable (i.e., how many can be made available each month)

b. Estimated timeframe from contract award to initial delivery

c. Pricing information including economies of scale (unit cost per rate of production), etc.

d. Pricing information for a full set of production ready AAR certified engineered drawings

e. Any applicable regulatory information, methodology, assumptions and/or constraints relevant to the information required.

f. General information supporting the characteristics and specifications listed below:

As of today, there are emerging and long term requirements for design and production of new heavy duty flatcars. The Government is seeking information to address emerging near term requirements for low-rate initial production (up to 5 cars) and a longer term (2+ years) large scale production (200 cars per year) of new heavy duty flatcars indicated in items 1 – 4 below.

1. Long Articulated: New 6-Axle Steel Deck Articulated Flatcars with an overall deck length of 116-ft.

2. Short Articulated: New 6-Axle Steel Deck Articulated Flatcars with an overall deck length of 89-ft.

3. 8-Axle Flatcar: New 8-Axle Steel Deck Flatcars with a deck length of 68-ft.

4. 6-Axle Flatcar: New 6-Axle Steel Deck Flatcars using 3-Axle Trucks with a deck length of 68-ft.

Each of the designs shall have the following characteristics:

Wheel gauge, standard 56 ½ inch 170-ton capacity Entire structure and any deck and truck connections must support dynamic and static weight of an 85-ton tracked vehicle loaded through circus loading Per-axle weight of 78,750 pounds or less Steel deck with ISO container pockets AAR interchange compatible Deck width determined by AAR Plate-C Clearance Dimensions For the designs with two platforms and an articulation (items 1 and 2 above), the gap at the articulation shall be 6” or less to enable wheeled vehicle to move from one platform to the other without need for placing or removing spanners. Some possibilities to enable this include: sliding plates fastened to decks; a convex end on one platform and a concave end on the other; and projections from decks at different heights to eliminate or reduce the gap.

The Government shall be supplied with final stress analysis calculations, a full set of as-built construction drawings, and a bill of materials keyed to the drawing or drawings showing them. These drawings and associated materials shall become government property.

RFI Response Instructions:

Interested parties should provide details of their products and capabilities in writing via email to Barry.mickela@dot.gov and Peter.wallace@dot.gov by the response date. There are no page limits or format restrictions, but responses should be as concise as possible and address only the information requested. Any questions should be submitted electronically to the email addresses above. No phone calls will be accepted. This is a Request for Information Only that will be used for planning purposes only and NO SOLICITATION EXISTS AT THIS TIME. Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. Responses will not be returned.