Siemens rolls out light rail in US

TriMet, the mass transit provider for Portland, has awarded Siemens another order worth $73 million for 18 S70 light rail cars. The vehicles will be manufactured entirely at Siemens' rolling stock production plant in Sacramento, California, according to a Siemens press release.

Some 80 per cent of the electricity required for production will be supplied by a two-megawatt solar power plant. The new light rail cars will be shipped out as of August 2014.

As of summer 2014, the 18 S70 vehicles will bring the total number of light rail cars manufactured for TriMet by Siemens up to 119. The new cars will start service in the fall of 2015.

“We've been supplying light rail cars to TriMet since 1995. It all began with 79 SD 660 cars and since 2009 it has been our S70, which, besides Portland, is providing reliable service in North America in San Diego, Houston, Charlotte and Salt Lake City,” said Hans-Jörg Grundmann, chief executive officer of Siemens Rail Systems Division.

The new order has been awarded as part of a development project to expand the city’s transport network to cope with the expected population growth in the Portland area. Experts are forecasting that an additional million people will be living along the new route by 2030. To counter the looming traffic congestion, Portland is investing in a new 7.3-mile stretch of track and ten new stations. This new route will connect Portland State University in downtown Portland with the southern neighborhoods and the suburb of Milwaukie.

Around 22,000 homes will be within walking distance of the new stations, and the line will transport up to 25,000 passengers every workday. This means road traffic will be reduced by over 9,100 vehicles per day, with an accumulated daily saving of almost 100,000 kilometers.

The S70 has been developed especially for the American market and can be deployed in both light rail and regional rail systems for linking regions to cities. It has a maximum operating speed of 66 mph. Thanks to its low-floor design, passengers can enter the light rail cars at street level, allowing people to get on and off quickly and easily, including those with limited mobility.

The light rail cars will be produced at Siemens Rail Systems' plant in Sacramento, California, where a two-megawatt photovoltaic plant will supply around 80 per cent of the electricity the production facility needs. This will save some 1,470 metric tons of carbon dioxide every year.