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.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Data exploits parking potential
    March 11, 2015
    David Crawford parallel parks with innovations in two continents. Surveys of US cities indicate that drivers searching for parking can account for up to 37% of all urban traffic congestion. A 2011 study by IBM of 20 cities around the world found that nearly six out of ten drivers had abandoned their search for a parking space at least once; while motorists generally spent on average 20 minutes looking for a sought-after spot.
  • Yutraffic awareAI deployed in Swiss capital
    January 29, 2025
    City of Bern’s project involves installation at two traffic light systems
  • Copenhagen to showcase ITS in action at ITSWC 2018
    December 18, 2017
    As delegates head for the 2017 ITS World Congress in Montreal, we talk to Copenhagen mayor Morten Kabell about why his city is the ideal location for next year’s event. It may have been a long time coming but the ITS World Congress will be in Copenhagen in 2018 and there can be few more fitting places to host the event. By any number of metrics - interconnected transport, cycle commuting, safer streets, reduced pollution, sustainable energy and quality of life - the Danish capital has implemented what m
  • Siemens launches interoperable electric bus charger
    August 22, 2016
    Siemens has launched an interoperable charging infrastructure for e-buses which capable of charging buses from different manufacturers. German public transport operator Hamburger Hochbahn is to begin operation of three additional e-buses on its ‘innovation line’ 109. The battery-powered buses built by Polish company Solaris will be charged at the same Siemens charging stations that also power the plug-in hybrid buses from Volvo which have been serving Hamburg since the end of 2014. The three buses fr