Siemens is awarded contract for streetcars in Orange County, California

Siemens Mobility today announced that it has been awarded a contract from the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) for eight streetcars. The contract includes spare parts and tools, and comes with the option to purchase up to 10 additional streetcars at a later date. Siemens will provide systems support and training to operators and maintenance technicians once the vehicles are delivered, expected early 2021.

“As cities are growing, so is the need for reliable public transportation,” said Michael Cahill, president of Siemens Rolling Stock in the U.S. “Our streetcars provide great transportation options for cities looking for expandable-use vehicles that can be upgraded to interact with today’s – and tomorrow’s -- latest technology.”

The new OC Streetcars will be zero-emissions and based on the flexible and proven Siemens S70 light rail vehicle platform that is being used in mass transit and regional services linking suburbs to cities, such as in Houston, Charlotte, San Diego, Portland and the Twin Cities. The S70 design has also provided reliable operation in inner-city areas such as Salt Lake City and Atlanta, which is utilizing digital rail analytics as one of the “smartest” streetcar operations operating in the country today.

Siemens streetcars are playing an increasingly important role in helping regions address high-traffic congestion and bridge existing gaps in transportation. In the case of Orange County, they will sustainably link downtown areas with key business and government districts. The OC Streetcar will primarily serve Santa Ana’s central business district, which includes county and local government offices and courthouses in the Civic Center. It will also connect with many OCTA bus routes and Metrolink regional/commuter rail.

According to OCTA, the streetcars are expected to carry more than 7,300 passengers per day within their first year of operation. As ridership needs grow, these streetcars can also be converted to meet any rising demand for light rail transit operation.

Unlike light rail transit systems that mainly run on tracks separated from the roads, streetcars run on rails set into the road surface and therefore share the road with private motor vehicles. Streetcars offer an attractive alternative to traveling by car or bus due to higher speeds, running parallel with road traffic and serving short local routes with frequent stops. The double-articulated, bidirectional vehicles provide utmost efficiency, and the fully accessible low-floor design enables passengers to board and exit comfortably without any obstructions.

These zero-emissions streetcars are being built by more than 1300 Siemens employees in Sacramento, California.

In the U.S., Siemens provides rail vehicles, locomotives, components and systems to more than 25 agencies in cities such as Washington D.C., New York, Boston, Seattle, Philadelphia, Denver, 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, intelligent traffic solutions as well as signaling and control technology for freight and passenger rail and transit systems.

Siemens Mobility is a separately managed company of Siemens AG. As a leader in transport solutions for more than 160 years, Siemens Mobility is constantly innovating its portfolio in its core areas of rolling stock, rail automation and electrification, turnkey systems, intelligent traffic systems as well as related services. With digitalization, Siemens Mobility is enabling mobility operators worldwide to make infrastructure intelligent, increase value sustainably over the entire lifecycle, enhance passenger experience and guarantee availability. In fiscal year 2017, which ended on September 30, 2017, the former Siemens Mobility Division posted revenue of €8.1billion and had around 28,400 employees worldwide. Further information is available at: www.siemens.com/mobility