Skip to main content

Siemens to build new streetcars for expanding Charlotte Area Transit System

The Charlotte City Council in the US has chosen Siemens to build six new S70 streetcars for the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), the public transit system operated across Mecklenburg County and four surrounding counties. The vehicles will be designed with advanced hybrid technology that features a battery storage system, which allows for operation in portions of Uptown without the need for power from an overhead wire. The new streetcars will add to the 42 Siemens-built light rail vehicles currently
November 29, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The Charlotte City Council in the US has chosen 189 Siemens to build six new S70 streetcars for the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), the public transit system operated across Mecklenburg County and four surrounding counties.

The vehicles will be designed with advanced hybrid technology that features a battery storage system, which allows for operation in portions of Uptown without the need for power from an overhead wire. The new streetcars will add to the 42 Siemens-built light rail vehicles currently in operation on the Blue Line across the city.

The new streetcars will run on the second phase of the CityLYNX Gold Line, replacing the legacy green and yellow trolleys currently in operation. The new phase will add 2.5 miles to the Gold Line, expanding it to 4 miles in length ending at Sunnyside Avenue to the east and Johnson C. Smith University to the west.

The new streetcars will include features such as traffic light pre-emption, pedestrian-friendly front mask, an automatic passenger counter with enhanced 3D infrared sensor technology, large passenger windows for increased visibility and improved passenger safety and an unobstructed floor concept that allows more space for bicycle storage and wheelchairs.

The Gold Line expansion construction is scheduled to begin January 2017 and is estimated to open in fall 2020.

Related Content

  • December 16, 2016
    Video analytics enhances urban rail safety
    David Crawford explores some promising innovations for North American commuters. North America is experiencing a surge in commuter rail and metro development. The US now has 75 light rail and metro networks in operation; and California, in particular, is actively exploring ways of developing the state’s existing passenger rail operations into a fully integrated system.
  • September 20, 2017
    Knoxville chooses Siemens for city-wide streetlight retrofit
    Siemens has been chosen by the City of Knoxville, Tennessee to retrofit nearly 30,000 streetlights with new energy efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The retrofit is estimated to cut the City’s streetlight operation budget in half by saving US$2 million annually in energy and maintenance costs and is expected to pay for itself in less than ten years.
  • April 9, 2014
    Gothenburg’s year of congestion charging
    A year after it went live, Colin Sowman examines the technology used for Gothenburg’s congestion charging system and the effect the scheme has had on commuters. When it comes to long-term planning, the Scandinavians take some beating.The West Swedish Agreement is a case in point. Introduced in 2009, the Agreement runs through to around 2027 and aims to create an attractive, sustainable and growing region, and over that timescale the number of journeys is expected to increase by a third. Therefore the Agreem
  • August 14, 2013
    Siemens wins metro deal in India
    German technology company Siemens has secured a US$93.04 million contract from IL&FS Rail for the construction of an extension of seven kilometres to the automated Gurgaon Metro in India. Under the deal, Siemens will supply seven new metro trains as well as installing train control and signalling systems. The project involves extension of the Gurgaon Metro line with a new seven kilometre long southern line. The new line will add six stations in the south-east of Gurgaon. “The Gurgaon metro project is a fi