- New S70 advanced technology light rail vehicles to enhance passenger experience and accommodate San Diego’s growing rail system
- 45-vehicle order will add to Siemens' existing 128 light rail vehicles currently operating on San Diego Metropolitan Transit, making MTS the company’s largest U.S. light rail vehicle customer
Siemens has received an order for 45 new S70 light rail vehicles (LRVs) from the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The new vehicles will allow service enhancements on existing rail lines and provide the necessary LRVs to operate the 11-mile extension of the UC San Diego Blue Line that is now under construction.
Siemens has been providing LRVs to MTS since 1981. This order will bring the total number of vehicles supplied to MTS to 244, making MTS the largest U.S. light rail customer for Siemens. MTS recently sold or retired 71 Siemens U-2 vehicles, which were the original vehicles on the nation’s first modern light rail system. The original 15-mile segment from the International Border to downtown San Diego has since grown to more than 53 miles of double-tracked railway that serves the entire urbanized area of San Diego.
The new order of low-floor LRVs will feature a redesigned middle section of the vehicle to improve passenger flow including greater wheelchair accessibility and bicycle storage. MTS will use 36 of the 45 new LRVs on its Mid-Coast Trolley expansion, a new service to help manage current and future travel demand to and from the University City community. The additional nine vehicles will be used to increase frequency on the UC San Diego Blue and Orange lines.
”Our relationship with Siemens is a true partnership,” said MTS Chief Executive Officer Paul Jablonski. “We work together at every step to design the best-possible vehicle for our system and, more importantly, our riders.”
“Siemens is proud to continue our 35-year relationship with MTS by being chosen to build these advanced technology light rail vehicles for the city of San Diego,” said Michael Cahill, president of Siemens Rolling Stock. “These California-built vehicles will help continue MTS’ legacy of outstanding service to its riders and help accommodate riders on their growing rail system.”
The S70s will be built at the Siemens rail manufacturing hub in Sacramento, Calif. The plant, which has been in operation for almost 30 years, is powered in part by two megawatts of solar energy and currently employs nearly 1,000 people. Siemens is currently the leading supplier of light rail vehicles in North America.
The first vehicles are expected to arrive in late 2018.
Photos:
- Low-floor Trolley at the Green Line’s Gaslamp Quarter Station
- Example of a redesigned middle section of the vehicle to improve passenger flow including greater wheelchair accessibility and bicycle storage
Siemens’ Rail, Transit & Mobility Portfolio: Siemens Rolling Stock business unit is part of the Siemens Mobility Division which provides efficient and integrated transportation of people and goods by rail and road – including all products, solutions and services regarding mobility. Siemens designs and manufactures across the entire spectrum of rolling stock including commuter and regional passenger trains, light rail and streetcars, metros, locomotives, passenger coaches and high-speed trainsets. In the U.S., Siemens is providing rail vehicles, locomotives, components and systems to more than 25 agencies in cities such as Washington D.C., New York, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia, Denver, Baltimore, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Houston, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, St. Louis, Atlanta and Charlotte. Cities also rely on Siemens to provide traction-power substations and electricity transmission, as well as signaling and control technology for freight and passenger rail and transit systems. Siemens has transportation manufacturing hubs in: Sacramento, CA; Louisville, KY; Marion, KY; Pittsburgh, PA
About the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System: MTS operates 95 bus routes and three Trolley lines on 53 miles of double-tracked railway. Every weekday more than 300,000 passenger trips are taken on MTS bus and Trolley services in 10 cities and unincorporated areas of San Diego. In FY 2016, MTS served 92.6 million riders.
