The City of Milwaukee and Brookville Equipment Corp. agreed to terms on November 13, 2015 for supply of four Liberty Modern Streetcars for the city’s 2.1-route-mile starter line in a contract valued at $18.62 million. The contract includes an option for an additional 20 vehicles to support the system’s expected expansion and future development.
Brookville’s Liberty Modern Streetcars draw power from overhead catenary while navigating key commercial and residential segments of Milwaukee’s urban core. Milwaukee’s vehicles will feature a 104-inch body width and a majority-low-floor design with station-level boarding, and provide seating for 32 passengers, with additional standing room providing the ability to comfortably transport more than 150 passengers. Rider amenities will include bicycle racks and an HVAC system adapted to meet the needs of Milwaukee’s climate. Delivery will begin in the third quarter of 2017, with all four initial vehicles on-site by the first quarter of 2018.
Landmarks and attractions along the starter line will include Milwaukee Public Market, the historic Third Ward neighborhood, East Town, Lower East Side and Cathedral Square Park, while also connecting riders to the city’s downtown intermodal station, which provides service to 1.4 million annual users.
“Milwaukee is yet another American city that sees the value in streetcars as a transit and development tool,” said Brookville Vice President of Business Development Joel McNeil. “We are eager provide an American-designed streetcar that is part of a system that the city and its people can be proud of as this forward-thinking initiative comes to fruition and continues to expand.”
The order marks the third U.S.-designed and -manufactured Liberty Modern Streetcar fleet that Brookville will deliver to a U.S. city. In 2015, Brookville delivered two vehicles to Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and the City of Dallas. More recently, DART and the City of Dallas exercised an option for two additionalunits. Also in 2015, Brookville secured an order for six wide-body Liberty Modern Streetcars with M-1 RAIL in Detroit. Those streetcars will begin service along the Woodward Avenue line in 2017.
Brookville Equipment Corp. is a manufacturer of powered transportation vehicles for the mining/tunneling, rail freight and passenger transportation industries. The company has modernized, manufactured and remanufactured PCC and heritage streetcars and trolleys for the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (NORTA), the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA) and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). Brookville introduced the Liberty Modern Streetcar in 2012.