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 19, 2017
    USDoT pilots show win-win potential for connected vehicles
    Pete Goldin discovers the state of play with connected vehicles trials in the US and the impact of Hurricane Irma on Tampa’s pilot. The US Department of Transportation’s (USDoT’s) connected vehicle (CV) pilot sites have moved into phase 2 of the deployment programme– design, build, test and, maybe most importantly, collaborate.
  • April 4, 2012
    Nissan taxi of tomorrow makes world debut in New York
    The first full vehicle prototype of the Taxi of Tomorrow, the 2014 Nissan NV200, is being featured at the 2012 New York International Auto Show which is open to the public from 6-16 April. After a rigorous, two-year competitive bid selection process, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) selected the Nissan NV200 Taxi in May 2011 as the exclusive taxi of New York City, beginning in late 2013. The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, the Design Trust for Public Space and Smart Design also ha
  • October 21, 2016
    Siemens to electrify metro line in Ecuador
    Siemens has been commissioned by the Acciona-Odebrecht construction consortium to electrify the entire Metro Line 1 in the Ecuador capital, Quito. Line 1 is intended to improve daily commuting in the city, since it will provide direct routes from north and south of the city into the downtown area and historical city centre. The line is scheduled to begin passenger service in summer 2019. The city's first metro line will run over 20 kilometres through the city and operate at an elevation of more than 2,80
  • August 2, 2012
    Siemens to electrify Hawaii's first rail transit system
    Siemens Infrastructure & Cities will handle the electrification of Hawaii's first rail transit system which is scheduled for completion by 2019. The new line will run alongside Honolulu's 32-kilometer main arterial road from the East Kapolei district via Pearl Harbor and the airport to the Ala Moana district in the west.