Downtown streetcar to be built by Siemens
Vehicles, partly assembled in Alpharetta, should be delivered to city next September
- Central Atlanta Progress/City of Atlanta
- Feel free to photoshop yourself into this fancy conceptual rendering
Siemens snagged the $17.2 million contract to construct four streetcars that will glide along the route connecting the King Center to Centennial Olympic Park — a key segment of a proposed transit network that would include the Beltline.
Via the company:
The first car is expected to be delivered in September 2012 with revenue service beginning in early 2013. These will be the first streetcars in Atlanta since 1949 and will mark Siemens entry into the streetcar market in the United States. ...
The four new streetcars are based on the proven Siemens S70 light rail vehicle platform, which was designed in the United States and is in operation in cities such as Houston, Charlotte, San Diego, Portland and Salt Lake City. The streetcars were purchased through an existing contract with the Utah Transit Authority and will be customized to meet Atlanta’s operating environment. The streetcars are fully upgradeable for future light rail operation as the regional system grows
According to the company, the cars will be built in Sacramento, Calif. Major components, including the propulsion system, will be assembled in Siemens’ Alpharetta manufacturing facility.