LA Metro Exercises Option to Acquire 96 Additional Cummins Westport 320-hp L Gas Plus-Powered Metro Liners
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| Further Expands Ultra-Modern CNG Bus Fleet |
Cummins Westport Inc. ("CWI"), a leading provider of high-performance alternative fuel engines for the global market, announced that the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) has exercised its first option to acquire 96 additional Cummins Westport 320-hp L Gas Plus-powered, compressed natural gas (CNG) fueled Metro Liners.
The first 200 Metro Liners were ordered in 2003 and delivered in 2005 and 2006. The Metro Liners are high-capacity, articulated buses that operate on Los Angeles' busiest bus corridors, including the Metro Orange Line, a 14-mile exclusive transitway opened in 2005. At 60 feet, Metro Liners are 20 feet longer than a standard transit bus and seat 57 passengers. They are manufactured by North American Bus Industries, Inc. (NABI) of Anniston, AL. The 6 cylinder, 8.9 litre CWI L Gas Plus CNG engine delivers 320 horsepower (30 percent more than engines in conventional transit buses), and was specifically designed for large transit vehicles and refuse trucks, where high performance, low emissions and competitive operating costs are all equally important. This is also the base engine platform for the evolution to the 0.2 g NOx 2007 ISL G that will meet 2010 regulations at launch, 80% below the 2007 1.2 g NOx phase in provision.
"We're very pleased that LA Metro is ordering more Metro Liners," said Gordon Exel CWI's Vice-President and General Manager, Americas. "This is the only vehicle in the world that is available exclusively with our flagship engine, the L Gas Plus, and we and the NABI team are proud of its success. We appreciate the opportunity LA Metro has given us to be part of such an exciting program. We also want to acknowledge the great support provided by the team at Cummins Cal Pacific."
"Our customers are delighted with the Metro Liner, and at the same time this cutting edge vehicle is delivering great value and performance in our fleet," stated Mike Bottone, LA Metro's Director of Vehicle Technology. "We exercised this first option to purchase additional Cummins Westport-powered Metro Liners because they have met our performance expectations while providing an environmentally-friendly and cost-effective alternative to other available technologies."
About Cummins Westport Inc.Cummins Westport Inc., a joint venture of Cummins Inc. and Westport Innovations Inc. (TSX:WPT), manufactures and sells the world's widest range of low-emissions alternative fuel engines for commercial transportation applications such as trucks and buses. Cummins is a global power leader in engines, electrical power generation systems and related technologies. Westport Innovations is the leading developer of technologies that allow engines to operate on clean-burning fuels such as natural gas, hydrogen, and hydrogen-enriched natural gas (HCNG). www.cumminswestport.com
About the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro)
LA Metro is the largest operator of CNG transit buses in North America, having adopted an alternate fuel policy in 1993. Since 1995, LA Metro has run almost 500 million miles on alternative fuels, primarily CNG. Currently, over 2,000 (80%+) of Metro's 2,500 bus fleet operate with CNG engines.