Woojin wins $210 mil. deal to upgrade LA Metro system
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 74 subway cars made by Ansaldo Breda in 1999, above, now await Woojin Industrial Systems' system upgrade to stay in service. Courtesy of Woojin Industrial Systems
Woojin Industrial Systems has clinched a $210 million deal from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) to upgrade its decades-old subway cars ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in the city, the Korean medium-sized company said Tuesday.
The deal includes fixing 74 subway cars made by Italy-based Ansaldo Breda in 1999 by upgrading their operating systems with Woojin's latest information technologies.
A Woojin official said the job will take 56 months and is more difficult than building a new subway car from scratch. The deal also includes restoring operating systems of 14 other subway cars that were left incomplete by a company outside the United States.
Woojin was selected by LA Metro for the project in February after the authority's board of directors earlier that month designated the Korean company as an exclusive bidder.
The tender was first made in December 2022 and the authority visited Woojin's manufacturing plant in the U.S. in July 2023. Woojin submitted its final proposal for the project in November.
The company said it will install its railway vehicle propulsion control, auxiliary power, train control monitoring, broadcasting display devices and air conditioning systems. It will also test system unit performance for the improved vehicles and main line.
Woojin, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary of establishment this year, launched its subsidiary and manufacturing plant in Los Angeles in 2011, seeing a potential in the U.S. railway market. It subsequently signed deals with traffic authorities in the states of Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts and Utah to supply subway operating system equipment and parts.
"It's a great achievement for us to have won the project, by which the U.S. has recognized our restoration capabilities for existing hardware-plus-software electronic systems," a Woojin official said. "We'll secure more business opportunities using our more than 10 years of experience in the U.S. railroad vehicle market."
Woojin, to complete its latest U.S. project, will build a new subway compartment manufacturing plant there.
It said its planned factory has already acquired approval from LA Metro in accordance with the U.S. Buy America Act.
The law assists the country's rail and road transportation through purchases related to the construction of highways, railways and rapid transit systems.