Faulty software delays delivery of refurbished PATCO cars

Continuing problems with communications software have further delayed the delivery of refurbished PATCO commuter railcars, officials said Wednesday.

The faulty software deals with automatic train control for the cars, so it must be working properly before final operating tests can be completed, said Mike Venuto, chief engineer for the Delaware River Port Authority, owner and operator of PATCO.

The final tests, which will involve running fully loaded trains for 500 miles without problems, have been delayed until later this month, Venuto said. The tests had been slated for September.

"They're improving. . . . We're close to starting," Venuto said. He said the 500-mile tests, which will involve operating the refitted cars for four daily round trips for a week, could start next week. PATCO has eight refurbished cars for testing.

Venuto and PATCO general manager John Rink declined to predict when the first of the refurbished trains might carry paying customers.

"It's hard to predict what we'll find when we begin the 500-mile testing," Venuto said. He said officials with Alstom Transport Inc., which won the contract, said the tests could "take six days or two months."

That inaugural date has been steadily pushed back.

When Alstom, a French company, won the $194 million contract in December 2010 to rebuild PATCO's 120 railcars at its Hornell, N.Y., factory, PATCO officials said the project, including design, construction, and delivery, would take about five years.

The first prototypes were delivered to PATCO well behind schedule last year. When they were unveiled in December, PATCO officials said the first cars would be carrying paying passengers by February 2014.

But continuing problems with the eight prototypes have delayed the rollout. Problems have been found with heating and ventilation systems, asbestos removal, communications equipment, and the software for automatic train control.

Twenty-six cars in the 120-car fleet have been sent to the Alstom factory. As refurbished cars are returned to PATCO, more cars will be sent to Hornell to be overhauled.

On the outside, the refurbished cars look much like their old selves. The stainless-steel bodies are the originals, and the cars still have their old wheel assemblies and traction motors.

Inside, the cars look like new.

Bench seats have been replaced with bucket-style seats, and the cars have blue skid-resistant floors, thicker windows, and new heating and air-conditioning systems.

Overhead digital displays will scroll the names of station stops, and an audio recording of approaching stops will replace the current announcements by the operator.

Braking and accelerating are supposed to be smoother, and each car will have an intercom to allow passengers to talk to the operator in an emergency.

The operator's cab - and the two seats next to it - will be segregated from the passenger compartment by a lockable door, and side-facing flip-up seats will provide a wheelchair-accessible area.