Talgo Train Sets to be Moved to Beech Grove

No date has been set for the move of two Talgo trains from Milwaukee to the Amtrak shops at Beech Grove, Ind.

The Talgo equipment was built for the State of Wisconsin, but that state no longer wants the train sets.

The date of the move is still being worked out, Talgo spokeswoman Nora Friend said. Talgo will pay for the move and pay Amtrak a storage fee.

The two Talgo 14-car train sets were originally purchased by Wisconsin for Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison Hiawatha Service, but Gov. Scott Walker rejected $810 million of federal stimulus funds and canceled the project after he was elected in 2010.

Talgo has filed a breach of contract claim against the state. Talgo expects its $69.5 million claim against the state of Wisconsin filed with the state claims board to be rejected.

The company will then be free to pursue the damages in court, Friend said. The board has until early next week to issue a decision.

“The reason for the move is to mitigate Talgo’s damages in light of the state of Wisconsin’s breach of the purchase contract for the trains,” Friend said. The state has already paid $52 million for the trains.

Michigan’s Department of Transportation has issued two requests for proposals for 110 mph-capable passenger cars or complete train sets to replace two of the three Amtrak consists currently running on the Chicago-Detroit (Pontiac) route.

Michigan DOT has confirmed that Talgo has been the only respondent for its request for proposals and that the agency expects to make a decision about whether to go forward with the proposal in four to five weeks.

Tags: Beech Grove Shops, Michigan Department of Transportation, Talgo, Talgo trains, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker