The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA)’s board of directors approved the purchase of the trams for the OC Streetcar project, that will carry passengers on the route through Santa Ana and Garden Grove. The contract with Siemens Industries, in the amount of up to USD 51.5 million, will provide 8 trams and spare parts and tools. The OC Streetcar route will have six vehicles in operation and two spare cars that can be rotated into the system as needed.
The contract includes the option to purchase up to 10 additional trams at a later date, if necessary. As part of the deal, Siemens will provide systems support and training to operators and maintenance technicians once the vehicles are delivered.
The model of tram that Siemens will provide, called the S70 model, has proven successful in other cities in the US. The vehicles are 88 feet long and have 70 seats, carrying up to 180 passengers at a time. The trams will have doors on each side, operator cabs in the front and back, and level boarding. Construction on the OC Streetcar is set to begin later this year with testing and operations beginning in late 2020.
The OC Streetcar will operate from the busy Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center, along Santa Ana Boulevard and Fourth Street and along the Pacific Electric right-of-way to Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove. It is expected to carry more than 7,300 passengers per day within its first year of operation.
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