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

  • December 6, 2017
    Mexico City seeks solutions to improve air quality
    David Crawford ponders prospects for one of the world’s most congested and polluted cities. In 1992, the United Nations named Mexico City as the world’s most polluted urban centre. In the first half of 2016, following the updating of pollution alert limits to meet international standards, Mexico recorded 115 days where ozone concentrations exceeded the acute exposure health limit.
  • March 12, 2013
    Scania and Siemens partner on electric vehicles
    Scania and Siemens have entered into a partnership which will integrate Siemens technology to power vehicles with Scania's expertise in the electrification of powertrains in trucks and buses. The companies say the partnership means that Sweden may become the world's first country with electrically powered trucks and electrified roads for commercial use. Both companies have been working on the possibilities for electrically powered vehicles; Scania has explored the possibilities of electrifying the powertrai
  • July 5, 2012
    UK city upgrades urban traffic control
    UK infrastructure services provider Amey, which works in partnership with Birmingham City Council to run the highways maintenance service in the city, has placed an order with Siemens for an upgrade to the latest PC Scoot urban traffic control (UTC) system. The existing analogue data transmission system will be replaced with the latest UTMC compliant UG405 outstations installed in tandem with a new internet protocol (IP) communications network on behalf of Amey as part of their UTMC upgrade project in Birmi
  • September 9, 2020
    FTA pledges $14m for US transit projects
    Robotic Research to equip docking solution for disabled people on Kansas buses