Oregon Company to be Awarded Federal Contractor for First U.S.-Made Modern Streetcar

By Mass Transit - January 29, 2007

Congressman Peter DeFazio, joined by Gov. Ted Kulongoski, announced today that Oregon Iron Works Inc. (OIW) is set to be awarded a $4 million contract to produce the nation's first domestically manufactured modern streetcar. "This project affirms Oregon's leadership role in streetcar transportation and technology," said DeFazio. "I'm proud that Oregon will get to show that we can produce a quality product as good or better than they make in Europe and restore good, family-wage manufacturing jobs here at home."

The announcement was made at a morning ceremony at company headquarters, attended by Gov. Ted Kulongoski, Congressman Peter DeFazio (recently named Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Transportation), Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Congresswoman Darlene Hooley, Clackamas County Commissioners Martha Schrader, Bill Kennemer, and Lynn Peterson, Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams, and TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen. Many regional and local community leaders and OIW employees were also present.

Congressman DeFazio, with the assistance of the Oregon and Washington
congressional delegations, secured a special authorization of $4 million to
foster the domestic production of a streetcar vehicle similar to the
Portland Streetcar. "We believe there are 80 cities interested in streetcar
systems," said DeFazio. "The resurgence of streetcars throughout the United States will play an increasing role in urban transit."

OIW will build a prototype streetcar under the aegis of its newly formed
subsidiary, United Streetcar LLC. The prototype will be based on the model
currently manufactured in the Czech Republic by Skoda, provider of cars for Portland's five-year-old streetcar system. The design is for a four-axle,
double-ended, low-floor streetcar, fully compatible with the existing
Portland Streetcar. The award of this contract will make OIW the sole U.S.
manufacturer of the modern low-floor streetcar.

According to Chandra Brown, OIW vice president, this project also means 20 new living wage jobs immediately at OIW, with the potential for hundreds more as national demand for streetcars increases. "We intend to provide modern, efficient, American-produced streetcars, and to be a pioneering force in increasing urban transit options throughout the United States," said Brown.

"This project is a shining example of how when we come together across
public and private sector lines, that we can deliver economic benefits for
businesses, individual Oregonians and our communities," Governor Kulongoski said. "This project helps position Oregon as an industry leader and is a model for communities and industries across the state to forge partnerships that deliver sustainable economic and environmental benefits for all of Oregon."

Founded in 1944 and headquartered in Clackamas, Oregon, OIW is a specialized fabrication and manufacturing company that produces components for the U.S. and foreign governments, as well as dams, bridges, and other civil engineering and commercial projects. The company employs more than 400 and has additional manufacturing facilities in Vancouver, Wash.

OIW signed an exclusive technology transfer agreement in February 2006 with a well-known European manufacturer of rail vehicles, Skoda s.r.o., from the Czech Republic. In October 2006, the OIW-Skoda team submitted a successful proposal to the City of Portland Request for Proposal (RFP) to manufacture one prototype vehicle for the City of Portland, a prototype to be manufactured in the US and fully compliant with the Buy-America Act. In November 2006, the City announced that OIW was selected as the winner of the competitive RFP process. Earlier this month, OIW received the audit compliance papers indicating the OIW-Skoda team successfully completed both the Cost and Buy-America Pre-Award Audits performed by TriMet. The City issued a formal Notice to Award Contract to OIW on January 9, 2007.

"We at Oregon Iron Works, Inc. are extremely pleased and excited about
becoming the first modern domestic streetcar manufacturer in the United
States," said Brown, "especially because we believe this is a growing market and will help showcase the Portland region as the center of excellence for
the streetcar industry."

Transportation Commissioner Sam Adams, who also serves on the Portland Streetcar Board, is excited that this project will create new manufacturing jobs and develop new domestic prototype technology here in Oregon, as
opposed to the trend of manufacturing jobs being exported overseas. "We can all be proud of our congressional representatives for their support in
creating smart transportation options for Portland and the nation. We are
growing a streetcar cluster here in Oregon, making Portland the streetcar
capital of the United States."

Sam Adams's recent posts | Print this page

Posted Wed, 02/07/2007 - 9:52pm.

[[ Categories: Office of Transportation | Transportation ]]

Oregon Iron Works Streetcar

Submitted by Commissioner Martha Schrader on Thu, 02/08/2007 - 2:28pm.

Hey Commissioner Sam:

Thanks for the great commments about the streetcar and Oregon Ironworks. We're glad to have them in our county.

Great web page.

Commissioner Martha

» reply

OIW streetcar

Submitted by Ron Swaren on Sun, 02/11/2007 - 7:50am.

I'm glad that an Oregon company has received this contract. However, I think that for streetcar systems to gain broad acceptance the costs of production and installation need to be reined in. Bring the costs down! This would make it more affordable to smaller communities which might not qualify under a "small starts program" for federal dollars.

We can do it. Oregonians have learned to make do with less. And many other technologies do tend to come down in cost as they gain broader acceptance. Look at how flat screen LCD's have been getting cheaper! This is a great system to encourage higher density development--and reduce urban sprawl. But it needs to become even more affordable and thus reduce the subsidies that US taxpayer contribute. Our high federal deficit will continue to be a serious problem, no matter who is in office. Every community should do what it can to come up with transportation programs that are affordable and rely less on federal contributions.

» reply