Portland Streetcar selects CAF USA to produce new streetcar vehicles
The Bureau of Transportation for the city of Portland, Ore., has selected railcar manufacturer CAF USA to produce and deliver 15 new vehicles to be put into use by Portland Streetcar.
The new vehicles are set to be hybrid battery-equipped, designed to serve a new off-wire portion of the Portland Streetcar system—the NS Line expansion to Montgomery Park in Northwest Portland. Portland Streetcar notes that off-wire service will be an element new to the network as part of the expansion project while also aiming to provide greater reliability for the rest of the system.
“CAF USA is thrilled to be a part of making history by entering a partnership with the Portland Streetcar system,” said CAF USA Marketing and Business Development Vice President Jitendra Tomar. “The system is a landmark for modern streetcars in the United States.”
CAF USA is set to build the streetcars in its railcar manufacturing facility in Elmira, N.Y., The company notes it has delivered rail vehicles all over the world and has built modern streetcars for use in Cincinnati, Kansas City, Mo. and Omaha, Neb.
“We look forward to moving ahead with negotiating the specifics of design and engineering for these new streetcars,” said Portland Streetcar Executive Director Dan Bower. “Replacing 25-year-old vehicles with brand new streetcars will be an improvement in the comfort, safety and reliability riders can expect and sets the stage for the next 30 years of success.”
Portland Streetcar notes that the vendor selection milestone ushers the process forward into a phase to determine vehicle specifications, cost, delivery timeline and other elements. The city of Portland, Portland Streetcar and CAF USA representatives began negotiating those items in early April, according to the agency.
“We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to serve the great city of Portland to deliver reliable and safe transportation with our URBOS streetcars,” said CAF USA CEO Felix Fernandez. “They are dependable and proven in service all around the world with modern amenities for riders, and we will incorporate unique features for Portland such as off-wire capability to run on battery technology where needed.”
The new CAF USA vehicles are set to replace Portland’s original Czech-built modern streetcar fleet that began service in 2001. That fleet is nearing the end of its useful operating lifecycle. Further, the agency notes a few others in the fleet are in need of replacement due to age or damage.