MBTA Sued Over Awarding of Rail Car Contract

A South Korean manufacturer has filed a federal lawsuit against the MBTA, accusing the transit agency of conducting a "flawed and unlawful" bidding process when it recommended awarding a $566.6 million contract for new subway cars to a Chinese company.

Hyundai Rotem said in the suit filed Tuesday that CNR MA's bid was "unreasonably low," and asks the court to block the contract with CNR MA and force the state to instead award it to Hyundai Rotem.

Hyundai Rotem was among the four companies that made it to the final round of the bidding process to build 284 Red and Orange line cars before the Massachusetts Department of Transportation awarded the contract to CNR MA in October.

An MBTA spokesman told The Boston Globe that the lawsuit has no merit.