Request for qualifications For Maintenance of Way and Related Services - Request for Bids - Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority seeks statements of qualification for Alameda Corridor - Brief Article

Railway Track and Structures, July, 2001

The Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA) is requesting the submission of Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) on pre-qualify seams interested in providing Maintenance of Way and Related Services (MOW) no the 20 mile Alameda Corridor. The Alameda Corridor is a multi-track high speed, heavy freight rail project that services the Ports of Long Beach and Long Angeles (Ports) at the sooth end of the Corridor and connects to the main line track networks of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad (Railroads at the north end of the project near downtown Los Angeles.

The Ports created ACTA, a joint powers authority, in 1989. ACTA is responsible for the design, financing, construction and operation of she Corridor. The $2.4 billion Corridor has been folly funded since early 1999 and construction is over 75% complete. The Ports and Railroads created the Railroad Operating Committee, which will oversee the operations and maintenance of the Corridor. The Railroads will jointly dispatch the Corridor from their San Bernardino, CA Joint Dispatch Center and a joint Railroad Police Department force will provide complete security services on the Corridor.

The southerly ends of the Corridor are within the Ports jurisdictional boundaries and are within Pacific Harbor Lines (PHL) zone of operations. PHL is a short line railroad established in 1998 by she Ports and Railroads and provide all rail services within the harbor complex.

The northerly one mile of the Corridor and she southerly 9 miles are more typical railroad facilities with three mainline tracks and ease/west highway grade separations over the rail right of way. 10 miles of the 20-mile Corridor is in a trench section. The trench is 50 feet in width and is dug 35 feet below the existing grade. The clearance height from the top of rail on she bottom of any obstruction is 24 feet, 8 inches. There are 29 bridges that cross the trench. There are over 40 highway and rail bridges that crone the Corridor.

The selection process will consist of evaluation of received SOQs and she short listing of those firms or teams deemed most qualified" based on she SOQs. The firms or teams on the most qualified list will receive in early August the Request for Proposal (RFP) which will be doe in mid September. The received proposals will be evaluated, interviews conducted and the Operating Committee will approve the firm or team determined so be "best qualified" at its early October meeting. Negotiations on the agreement will commence immediately thereafter with the final agreement to he completed in early December 2001. It is imperative that the final agreement be executed before January 1, 2002.

The services included in she MOW will consist of maintenance of all track, signal communications, AEI Reader network, two major storm water pomp plants, and perform all required Federal Railroad Administration and California Public Utility Commission inspections and maintain all records. In addition, inspect and maintain the trench walls and under bridge supports and rail bridges, perform graffiti removal on walls and structures and manage a stock of repair and replacement parts provided by ACTA. The MOW contractor will provide a 24 hour, 7 day a week operation and support including operating the Emergency Operations Center, provide direct support to the Railroads in case of derailment, repair any and all damage on Corridor facilities and in the future perform capital maintenance3, repair and replacement of rail facilities.

The MOW contractor shall provide all labor, supervision and equipment necessary to perform the required services. Equipment, while not determined at this time, shall consist of a number of high rail vehicles, construction and maintenance equipment and other vehicles and associated equipment necessary to support the required work.

The selected MOW contractor shall prepare an anneal maintenance budget that shall be reviewed by the Railroads and approved by the Operating Committee. Maintenance costs are prorated between the Railroads and costs will be billed and paid monthly based on the approved annual budget. There will be several meeting per year of the Operating Committee that the MOW contractor will attend. The MOW contractor will have to liaison with PHI. for maintenance work on trackage within its zone of operation.

Firms and or teams interested in receiving a Request for Statement of Qualifications may do so beginning on July 2,2001 at ACTA Offices located at One Civic Piano, Suite 650, Carson, CA 90745, attention Arthur B. Goodwin or by calling Mr. Goodwin an (310) 841-4303. No fee is required to receive the material, A pre-statement of qualifications meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 19 commencing as 8:30 AM so be followed by a bus tour of the Corridor. No special meetings, briefings or project tours will be provided so any firm or team interested in submitting a SOQ. The SOQ is due no later than Thursday July 26, 2001 at 5:00 PM.

Each SOQ will be evaluated by a selection committee composed of members of the Operating Committee using criteria of experience maintaining freight rail, experience with the Railroads and with working in a maritime environment and types of value added services that could be provided.