Skip to main content

Twin Cities’ Metropolitan Council chooses Siemens to provide new light rail vehicles for Southwest expansion

Siemens has been chosen by the US Twin Cities of Minnesota and St Paul Metropolitan Council to manufacture 27 new light rail vehicles that will operate on the Metro Transit Southwest line expansion. Siemens will begin engineering the new vehicles, which will feature improvements including a redesigned middle section to improve passenger flow including wheelchairs and bicycles, ice cutters to remove sleet from the overhead wires that provide the electrical current to power the vehicles, and preferred seat
October 28, 2016 Read time: 1 min
189 Siemens has been chosen by the US Twin Cities of Minnesota and St Paul Metropolitan Council to manufacture 27 new light rail vehicles that will operate on the Metro Transit Southwest line expansion.

Siemens will begin engineering the new vehicles, which will feature improvements including a redesigned middle section to improve passenger flow including wheelchairs and bicycles, ice cutters to remove sleet from the overhead wires that provide the electrical current to power the vehicles, and preferred seating to meet Americans with Disabilities guidelines, among many others.

The contract expands Siemens relationship with the Twin Cities, adding to the existing fleet of 59 Siemens S70 light rail vehicles successfully operating on Metro Transit’s Green and Blue lines.  Five additional S70s are currently in production in Sacramento and will add capacity to the existing system.

The first light rail vehicle is expected to arrive in Minnesota in 2019.

Related Content

  • October 13, 2015
    Siemens to deliver additional light rail vehicles for Twin Cities Metro Transit
    Siemens has been awarded an option order to deliver an additional five S70 light rail vehicles for Metro Transit, which serves the Twin Cities region, Minnesota. The US$20.1 million order will add to the existing 59 light rail vehicles currently in operation on the Metro Green and Blue lines. Metro Transit will use the new trains to enhance service on its light rail lines, which are experiencing record ridership. The new vehicles are designed and built specific to the needs of the Twin Cities. The veh
  • November 3, 2016
    Siemens expands partnership with San Diego MTS
    Siemens is to supply the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) with 45 new S70 light rail vehicles (LRVs). The new vehicles will allow service enhancements on existing rail lines and provide the necessary LRVs to operate the 11-mile extension of the UC San Diego Blue Line that is now under construction. The low-floor LRVs will feature a redesigned middle section of the vehicle to improve passenger flow, including greater wheelchair accessibility and bicycle storage. MTS will use 36 of the 45 new L
  • November 29, 2016
    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
  • June 15, 2017
    Siemens to build new light rail vehicles for Phoenix Valley Metro Rail system
    Phoenix Valley Metro Rail, Arizona, US has awarded Siemens the contract to build 11 new S70 light rail vehicles to help meet growing passenger needs and the next expansion of the 26-mile rail line.