Siemens Mobility has been awarded a contract from the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County for 14 light rail vehicles that will operate in Houston, Texas. This marks Houston METRO’s third order for Siemens Mobility vehicles, which will bring the total number in Houston to 51. The S70 low-floor light rail vehicles will supplement the vehicles currently servicing the city’s three light-rail lines, which account for nearly two million trips per month. This will ensure the
system’s reliability, efficiency and passenger experience.
“Our light rail vehicles are built on standard platforms that can be customized to meet the unique needs of cities across the continent. In the case of Houston, not only will the zero emission vehicles help the city reach its sustainability goals, but it will also ensure that tomorrow’s residents will be able to easily access downtown and business districts with reliable and comfortable service,” stated Michael Cahill, president of Siemens Rolling Stock in the U.S.
The S70 will have a new and improved modern design, with a centralized low-floor configuration offering full low-floor access between all doors along the length of the vehicle, allowing for more accessibility, particularly for wheelchairs and strollers. It widens aisles, which will optimize passenger flow throughout the vehicles. In addition, drivers will experience an increased field of vision on the sides of the vehicles. These features improve safety and efficiency, making it one of the most accessible vehicles of its kind in the market today.
Houston was the first to select the S70 low-floor vehicle design, which was successfully inaugurated on its first 12-mile line in January 2004, on time to transport more than 64,000 fans to and from Super Bowl XXXVIII. Since then, more than 600 S70 vehicles have been ordered by 11 cities throughout the U.S.
The light rail vehicles will be Buy America-compliant and built by the more than 1300 employees at Siemens Mobility’s solar-powered manufacturing facility in Sacramento, CA. In the U.S., Siemens Mobility provides rail vehicles, locomotives, components and systems to more than 30 agencies in cities such as Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle, St. Louis and Washington, D.C.
