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

  • January 18, 2013
    Transit hub promised in San Diego area
    San Diego North County’s Interstate 15 corridor is best known for its flood of freeway traffic, not its mass transit stations. This is due to change next year, when the Sabre Springs/Penasquitos transit station, just east of I-15 on Sabre Springs Parkway, is set to undergo a US$12.2 million face-lift that will include a four-storey parking garage, electric vehicle charging stations, electronic next bus signs and even some smart parking spaces. “This will be our flagship station,” said Frank Owsiany, who ov
  • November 7, 2022
    Charlotte, NC: looks like we’re walking
    Charlotte is committing to ambitious Vision Zero targets and has a plan for modal shift which emphasises active travel in the North Carolinian city
  • February 9, 2021
    Hitachi brings battery-powered tram to Italy 
    The trams can offer high capacity transport through city centres, firm says 
  • November 15, 2016
    WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff designing new bridge in Florida
    WSP /Parsons Brinckerhoff will design a new bridge in Pensacola, Florida as part of a design-build team led by Skanska. The project is being undertaken on behalf of the Florida Department of Transportation. The US$398.5 million project includes design and construction of new westbound and eastbound bridges on Route 30 (US 98) to replace the existing three-mile-long bridge that links the communities of Pensacola and Gulf Breeze. The project also includes shared-use paths on the outside of each bridge, rec