WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that Maine Military Authority (MMA) has officially entered into a contract with the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) to overhaul 32 aging, dual mode (electric/diesel) articulated (DMA) buses.  This $19 million contract will help sustain and grow jobs at the Limestone facility.

In addition to supporting MMA's efforts with MBTA, Senators Collins and King wrote to the Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in December in support of MMA’s grant application to the “Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment” program to establish a “Nationally Deployable Mission-Ready Transit Package.”  This grant program is intended to help transit agencies quickly recover and restore transit services following natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy.

“The goals of FTA for our nation’s transit system equipment dovetail perfectly with the work already being conducted at MMA.  MMA has a proven track record of performing vehicle refurbishment work on behalf of the federal government, including the Department of the Army and the National Guard, on time and on budget.  This contract is encouraging news for the skilled workforce at MMA.  We are confident that the exceptional work performed for the MBTA will lead to further opportunities for the MMA workforce,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement.                                                                                                                       

According to MMA, this contract marks the culmination of years of strategic and deliberate planning to gain access to new markets as military budgets decline.  In 2012, MMA completed a major renovation of its facilities specifically designed to support large, and over-sized vehicles.  That same year, MMA entered the bus refurbishment market with its School Bus Refurbishment Program.  Since, MMA has successfully developed an end-of-life rebuild program for Para-Transit (shuttle) buses and mid-life overhaul for mass-transit buses.

MMA has teamed with the SKODA Electric, the original equipment manufacturer of the electric propulsion system used in the DMA buses, to form a team capable of this demanding project. 

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