Hey, there! Log in / Register
Our new subway cars could be a national-security threat, congressmen charge
By adamg on Wed, 07/20/2016 - 8:16am
State House News Service reports 55 congressmen want the Treasury department to investigate the way a Chinese company won the bid to build new Red Line and Orange Line trains, in part because of allegations it was able to submit a low-ball bid due to Chinese government subsidies, in part because they worry about the Chinese gaining access to critical national infrastructure, such as rail lines. Rep. Mike Capuano (D-Somerville) did not sign on, saying he wants to learn more first.
Topics:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
2029
and counting
Critical national infrastructure
Pretty sure Chinese sabotage is last on a long long list of things that can disable the T at this point.
Singapore train sling.
The cited website has another story about problems in Singapore. 2/3 of cars had cracks in the bogies. "not safety related".
Hold it...ain't the wheels held on by bogies?
Plus,cracked windows and exploding batteries.
Okay
Subway cars are "critical national infrastructure"?
So why are they getting paid by the oil companies/Kochboys to pull this crap?
They're probably right for the wrong reasons
The transit infrastructure is critical for economic reasons, and is also a presumed target for evildoers.
But politicians usually take stands not on informed principle and reason, but on behalf of campaign contributors, for constituent pork, or for grandstanding opportunity.
Deval Patrick admin ran this bid process and awarded the bid
The investigation is tied to the bid process and also the risk of sabotage? That sure looks like a fishing expedition. I could be convinced otherwise.
Will Deval Patrick's efforts to modernize the MBTA be his Benghazi, E-Mail Server, Disgraced Service in Vietnam, Willie Horton, Boston Harbor?
Obvious Joke
I wouldn't worry about the Chinese doing damage to the Commuter Rail. The French seem to be doing fine on their own.
Seems fair
This seems fair if the Chinese are going to have the gall to boycott KFC and smash their iPhones.
America Runs, China collapses
That's OK, according to the Globe, Dunkin' Donuts is busy infiltrating China with seaweed donuts (it's true!) When one billion Chinese people develop diabetes, they'll have other things to worry about besides destroying the T.
A seaweed donut? Not for all
A seaweed donut? Not for all the T in China.
Fine
That's fine. We will just award it to a different foreign company that can build it faster and cheaper than the U.S. rail car makers. Which foreign manufacturer would you prefer? Oh wait, there aren't any U.S. rail car makers anyway. What a stupid bunch of people we have running our country.
"critical rail infrastructure
yeah because rail car nav computers are treasure troves of SSN#s.
wonder how many of these guys would have campaign donations from these "private companies" they're so concerned about if you went digging.
Whoa. Critical?
One has to wonder at the notion of anyone in Congress describing rail as "critical national infrastructure", given their appalling lack of support for it in the first place. Houston and Dallas are pretty close to building a high-speed connector; it will be a private company using Japanese trains.
Texas Central Railway
And do you remember who had a non-trivial role in getting that project as far along as it has gotten?
Seth Moulton. There is hope for us yet.
Montreal Ordered New Subway Cars About The Same Time As Boston
How's that working out for them?
Like Herpes...
Deval Patrick, the gift that keeps on giving.
Yep
Vote Democrat again, you (expletives). How's that Hillary vs. Trump polling going, you schmucks who chose her over Bernie in a primary?
What Has Your Republican Governor Done To Expedite These Trains?
( and, I didn't vote for Mrs. Clinton! )
Republicans suck too
I just don't get much of a chance to trash them on a website that reports on politicians in Boston and in Massachusetts.
Didn't the commerce department
and other federal agencies have to green light this project?
If transit got even a tenth
If transit got even a tenth of the funding that so-called "national security" got (source of such great ideas as "you can't take your toothpaste on a plane") then we wouldn't be stuck in this mess to begin.
Even if the Chinese company was malicious (and I don't believe they are) what could they possibly do to the T that we haven't already done? Transit incompetence is American made!