Siemens to upgrade Santa Clara light rail

Siemens has been chosen by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), a US independent special district that provides sustainable, accessible, community-focused transportation options for Santa Clara County, California, to provide innovative electrification technology to power the Guadalupe Corridor light rail line. VTA’s infrastructure modernisation will replace 27-year-old systems with Siemens’ new technology that includes advanced monitoring and diagnostic features to streamline maintenance a
March 17, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
189 Siemens has been chosen by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), a US independent special district that provides sustainable, accessible, community-focused transportation options for Santa Clara County, California, to provide innovative electrification technology to power the Guadalupe Corridor light rail line. VTA’s infrastructure modernisation will replace 27-year-old systems with Siemens’ new technology that includes advanced monitoring and diagnostic features to streamline maintenance activities.

The new technology includes traction power substations that convert alternating current electricity provided by the local utility to direct current in order to power the light rail trains, modern protection communication devices and circuit breakers and controllers that monitor the system and report issues if they arise. These systems can detect faults sooner and minimise stress on the line, resulting in a longer vehicle lifecycle.

Siemens will be responsible for the full delivery of the project from design and production to final commissioning, including all elements of preparing the site and replacing the old existing traction power substations that converts electric power for the vehicles. Commissioning is scheduled to begin in November 2017.

Related Content

  • September 22, 2015
    Rail operator deploys Siemens technology for newly opened light rail line
    TriMet's new MAX Orange Line, a light rail project between Portland and Milwaukie in the US incorporates Siemens’ advanced rail technologies, including its S70 light rail vehicles, rail signalling and communication systems and the company's first Sitras SES energy storage unit in the US that uses regenerative braking to sustainably power the line. The 12 kilometre line is the region's sixth construction project of the development project Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) to expand the city's transport net
    Read More
  • August 14, 2012
    Siemens to refurbish light rail vehicles for Sacramento
    By awarding Siemens Rail Systems a contract to modify and refurbish 21 light rail vehicles (LRV), Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT) says it will add to its fleet at a fraction of the cost of new vehicles. RT acquired the vehicles, originally built by Urban Transportation Development Corporation (UTDC) - from Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. The vehicles originally went into operation in 1987 and have been in storage since RT acquired them in 2003. They are now needed for RT's expanding s
    Read More
  • January 4, 2017
    Siemens to modernise metro line in Peru
    Siemens is to provide the complete traction power supply for the first section of metro line 1 in Lima, which covers around nine kilometres. The modern power supply, upgrading of existing overhead contact line system and modifications to electrification in the depots will increase both the availability and the cost-effectiveness of the rail route. The upgrade will be carried out during ongoing operation. Lima's first metro line was completed in 2011, covering around 21 kilometres. The line connects the s
    Read More
  • June 1, 2016
    B&C Transit modernises Miami-Dade Metrorail’s control systems
    Jason Gomez and Daniel Mondesir describe how passenger disruption was minimised during a major upgrading of the control room of Miami-Dade’s Metrorail. In 1984 when the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works’ (DTPW) Metrorail system was launched in southern Florida, trains ran 18km along a single line and stopped at 10 stations.
    Read More

Highlighted Content