San Diego's Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015 said Siemens S70 low-floor light rail vehicles now have been added to the Blue Line, the system's initial route linking downtown San Diego and San Ysidro, Calif., just short of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Blue Line is also the business light rail transit (LRT) route in the San Diego system, carrying an average 50,000 rider each weekday.
MTS, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) , local dignitaries, community members, and contractors held a celebration at the 8th Street Station in National City, Calif., on Jan. 27 (seen in photo above left).
"This is a significant milestone for our region's Trolley network," said MTS Board Chairman Harry Mathis. "The low-floor design will make our entire transit system more efficient."
The new Siemens cars, produced at the company's Sacramento, Calif., facility, have replaced MTS' original Siemens U2 equipment, which debuted in 1981 with the opening of the Blue Line, the first modern U.S. LRT line to be established and the third in North America, after Edmonton and Calgary.
The S70 additions are part of a $600 million effort to modernize the entire Trolley system. Trolley Renewal is funded primarily by California Proposition 1B bond funds and TransNet, the regional half-cent sales tax for transportation administered by SANDAG. MTS now operates 76 low-floor trolley cars throughout the entire system and up to 28 will be dedicated to operations on the Blue Line daily.