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.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Indra to equip Buenos Aires train network with access control and ticketing
    February 16, 2016
    Spanish multinational Indra is to deploy its access control and ticketing technology across the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (BAMA) rail network, one of the world's largest with more than 200 stations. The contract also includes system maintenance during a two-year period. Argentina's national rail operator has awarded Indra the contract, worth US$39 million, under which the firm will equip eight lines with 1,400 access control machines, or turnstiles; 170 disabled entrances; 200 automatic recharging m
  • Oxford unveils zero-emission zone 
    March 11, 2022
    ZEZ in historic UK city will operate from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm all year round - EVs are exempt
  • Mitsubishi to verify and test MTA New York City Transit CBTC system
    January 18, 2016
    Following a period of evaluation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has secured a contract for the verification and testing of interoperability with the existing CBTC system by MTA New York City Transit (NYCT). NYCT plans a system-wide implementation of an interoperable CBTC system on all subway lines by multiple CBTC manufacturers. It currently utilises two interoperable CBTC manufacturers and aims to qualify additional companies. The contract qualifies Mitsubishi as a third CBTC manufacturer.
  • Bombardier deploys new rail control solution in Kuala Lumpur
    July 26, 2017
    Bombardier Transportation’s fully-automated CITYFLO 650 rail control solution has entered service on second phase of new Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) Line 1 in Kuala Lumpur. Bombardier is equipping over 100 km of the KVMRT network with the technology, which offers operators optimised network capacity and heightened responsive traffic management. The system, which features a centralised control centre system and advanced radio-based communications, has been achieving high levels of availability si