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 9, 2015
    Siemens completes installation of new LED streetlights for US town
    Siemens has recently completed installation of more than 550 LED streetlights and floodlights in the Town of Hamilton, Massachusetts, on behalf of Metropolitan Area Planning Council, (MAPC). The full project installation is expected to result in at least US$25,000 in annual energy and maintenance savings for the town, reduce energy usage by 60 per cent compared to existing streetlights, and provide citizens with clearer lighting conditions to improve visibility and safety. The project is also expected t
  • May 15, 2017
    Riyadh aims to build world’s biggest public transport system in five years
    The City of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is building the world's largest public transit system --- in just five years. It will be presenting the project at the Palais des Congrès, in Montreal, Quebec, during the global summit of the Union Internationale des Transports Publics (UITP), this week. Managed by The High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh (HCDA), the project includes six metro lines covering 176 km and 85 stations, in addition to 24 bus routes covering 1,900 km and 3,000 stations and stops. At a
  • August 9, 2024
    Santa Clara light rail calls for Econolite TSP detection
    Installations in California will detect transit signal priority calls on four corridors
  • November 24, 2022
    Houston’s Metro opts for Init upgrade
    New contract will guarantee ease of travel for riders who do not use electronic payment