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[quote user="samfp1943"]Both VolkerLandwehr, and BaltACD seem to be saying that the problem lays in the Engineering Specifications( and possibly, their interpretations by the manufacturers(?). [/quote] Not only. You need always two, the buyer with his specification and the possible bidder. To stay with the PRIIA bi-level car procurement, a number of car builders participated in the design of the specification. But in the end it was designed by a committee. There were no priliminay calculations to verify the requirements. Interesting is the two step bidding process for these cars. Seven buiders showed interest but Hyundai-Rotem dropped of before the first step, the draft. After the draft the bidders were told in confident meetings where they weren't compliant to eliminate this points for the final bid. Bombardier didn't provide a final offer. Siemens and Alstom left the non-compliant points in their final offer and were eliminated. Out of the remaining three Sumitomo won.  <a href="https://www.arema.org/files/library/2013_Conference_Proceedings/Implementation_the_Nations_First_Standardized_Intercity_Rail_Car_Specification.pdf">https://www.arema.org/files/library/2013_Conference_Proceedings/Implementation_the_Nations_First_Standardized_Intercity_Rail_Car_Specification.pdf</a> The prelimininary analysis was done by every bidder for the draft bid. It looks to me like four bidders did find requirements they were not able to comply to and choose different exit strategies. [quote user="samfp1943"]It would seem that in this area; would it not be appropriate to have an Engineering Body, maybe under the authority of the AAR write the specifications to be followed in the construction of the passenger cars?[/quote] I'm not sure that there is the necessary expertise for this task anywhere beside the builders. On the other hand each builder has his own building procedures optimizing his  costs. With a ready design that is only possible to a limited extend. The pruduct can get more expensive. [quote user="samfp1943"]Pullman and Pullman-Standard, and Budd; along with the 'other' car builders seemed to be able to make 'compliant' passenger cars when they were in business. [/quote] All the car builders are able to build compliant to a given specification, if the specification is consistant, which apperently the PRIIA car specs aren't. Siemens got a document change with a higher weight limit for the single level car. In years past there were safety requirements but weight limits were secondary. That changed with high speed trains. You want to carry too much tare weight at high speed especially if you used the weight limits in car specification to specify a locomotive. And the is what Balt said, the bells and whistles. A good example seems the new RFP from Amtrak and Metra for new locomotives. Though there are specifications for staight electrics (Siemens ASC-64) and diesel-electrics (PRIIA 305-005), there will be change specs. I think you won't get a diesel-elecric cheaper than from the Siemens Charger option. Ironically Amtrak participated in the PRIIA specifications. There is a PRIIA Dual Mode spec but both, Amtrak and Metra use their own. Now they try to adjust them to be able to buy the same locomotive. The problem isn't that car builders aren't able to build to a specification, but that specification sometime don't work. With to many conflicting requirements the ridge between work and doesn't work can get really thin. In case of the bi-levels four had doubts, three not. A bit disturbing in hindsight is that Siemens and Alstom were eliminated without engineers discussing their doubts. Perhaps the desaster could have been prevented. Regards, Volker
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