Schindler Looks To Get US$23-Million Sound Transit Contract Bump

Schindler, the vertical-transportation (VT) service provider for Seattle’s Sound Transit light rail system, will likely see a five-year, US$30-million contract with the agency upped by US$23 million, The Urbanist reports. The five-year contract is set to lapse in July 2024, and the additional funds would extend until that time and expand the scope of elevators and escalators maintained by Schindler. Sound Transit Deputy of Vertical Conveyances John Carini provided “sobering” reasons for the contract modification. When the contract was originally signed, Sound Transit had 94 VT assets in its portfolio. That has now grown to 195, “43 of which, while contractually allowed to be added to this maintenance contract, were not financially forecasted when this contract was executed,” Carini said. Expiring warranties, most imminently for the 33 pieces of VT equipment serving the East Link Extension, would leave assets without regular maintenance. Reasons for VT equipment going offline include misuse, vandalism and environmental factors such as debris buildup