Sacramento RT in negotiations with Siemens Mobility for up to 76 light-rail cars

Sacramento Regional Transit, the capital region’s leading public transportation provider, is in negotiations with Germany-based transit conglomerate Siemens Mobility to acquire up to 76 light-rail cars.

RT spokeswoman Jessica Gonzalez said the company is looking to initially purchase 23 light-rail cars through a joint procurement with San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System, with the first four cars being delivered potentially as soon as next spring.

Additional cars would be delivered in 2022, Gonzalez said.

The seven-year contract term will go before the RT board within the next few months to finalize the details, Gonzalez said.

The purchase is part of RT’s light-rail modernization program, which involves acquiring new low-floor light-rail vehicles, converting stations to accommodate them and installing a passing track to allow for faster Folsom service.

The program specifically calls for low-floor conversion of RT’s Gold Line.

Siemens Mobility recently secured two contracts worth more than $200 million to manufacture light-rail cars for public transportation organizations in San Diego and Portland, Oregon.

Low-floor light-rail cars are more accessible for disabled riders and are more accommodating, with wider aisles for wheelchair-bound people, according to previous reporting by The Sacramento Bee.

Sacramento Regional Transit already runs 36 Siemens trains in its fleet, and the German transportation company employs more than 1,400 in the Sacramento area.

More information about RT’s light-rail modernization program can be found at sacrt.com.

This story was originally published August 5, 2019 at 2:40 AM.