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

  • Lidar lets planners see big picture in Chattanooga
    April 14, 2025
    The city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, is attempting to make its streets safer by using the largest deployment of Lidar-based traffic detection in the US. Adam Hill reports…
  • Smoothing out city freight movements
    May 28, 2014
    David Crawford welcomes a national first. Urban freight movements, while commercially and socially vital, are a growing logistical headache for planners and people alike. Figures from France’s Lyon Laboratory of Transport Economics indicate that goods transport in major urban areas accounts for: 20% of traffic; 35% of CO2 emissions made by all urban trips; and 50% of the diesel used; while final km delivery runs account for 20% of the total cost of the transport chain.
  • European ideal poses local problems for toll companies
    December 16, 2013
    Being the first organisation attempting to implement an interoperable system poses challenges and increases risk that must be managed to realise the benefits. The European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) legislation aims to avoid the problems experienced in the USA and provide road users with seamless travel across the EU but it can pose big problems for some toll operators. Take, for instance, the case of the Humber Bridge in the UK. Its case was highlighted at the recent ITS World Congress by Tim Gammons,
  • Lighting upgrade for Mersey tunnel
    November 6, 2014
    Liverpool transport chiefs are planning a two-year US$14.3 million upgrade to lighting in one of the Mersey tunnels. The Kingsway Tunnel is the second longest road tunnel in the UK at a length of 1.6 miles per tube and is a major transport gateway for the Liverpool City Region, with 16 million vehicles passing through the tunnel each year, and is the only tunnel that can accommodate freight vehicles over 3.5Te GVW. The current lighting installation totals 3.2 miles and consists of over 1800 light fitting