The Type 5 LRV, designed and manufactured by Siemens at its Sacramento, Calif., plant, “includes new features that increase the comfort and safety for the public, make the operation of the vehicles easier and more efficient, and improve the maintenance process,” Siemens said. “These redesigns were made with direct input from the riding public and TriMet. Siemens has also delivered the vehicle one month ahead of schedule.”
The Type 5 features new seating arrangements that include extra foot room, better access through the center car, and additional wheelchair accessibility. The vehicle’s HVAC systems now include fresh air dampers that automatically adjust based on the number of people in the vehicle, keeping compartments more comfortable for riders and increasing the HVAC system’s efficiency.
The new LRVs also include improved sight lines, more ergonomically designed main cabins, and larger displays for train operators so they are better able to monitor the vehicle’s status to improve safety and efficiency. Maintainability improvements, based on TriMet’s feedback, include rearrangement of systems to increase access to key components. Diagnostic systems have also been improved to allow maintenance employees to troubleshoot and test each system from one point rather than individually testing every LRV system.
The S70 Type 5s will go into service on TriMet’s Portland-Milwaukie LRT line, set to open in September 2015. The 7.3-mile extension, the region’s sixth MAX construction project, will extend from the terminus of the MAX Green and Yellow lines at Portland State University in Downtown Portland to South Waterfront, Southeast Portland, Milwaukie, and North Clackamas County.
Siemens is also installing the first regenerative energy storage unit in the U.S. on the Portland-Milwaukie line. The technology allows for energy created during braking to be stored and then re-used in one of two forms, energy savings or voltage stabilization during peak demand times. TriMet will utilize the system in voltage stabilization mode.
“Siemens has been proud to work with TriMet since the early 1990s to deliver more than 90 vehicles for its light rail system,” said Michael Cahill, head of Siemens North American Rolling Stock business. “The new vehicle unveiled today was designed and manufactured based on direct feedback we were hearing from riders and our customer, and we believe these improvements will prove to be a better experience for the public, operators and maintenance workers on this system.”