Siemens S200 SF previews in San Francisco; more LRVs ordered

Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
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Siemens on June 16, 2015 publicly unveiled a full-scale mockup of its new S200 SF light rail vehicle for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). The agency exercised an option for 40 additional LRVs under its original 175-vehicle contract, signed in September 2014 and now the largest Siemens order ever for LRVs placed in the U.S.

386990SFMTA Director of Transit John Haley, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and the SFMTA board, community stakeholders and members of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors joined Siemens Rolling Stock President Michael Cahill at the model’s unveiling, which was open to the public. “The new LRV not only represents our long-term partnership with Siemens but will place its proven superior technology on San Francisco streets,” said Haley. “The new vehicles are not only sleek in appearance but will run quieter on the rails and operate 10 times longer [than our existing LRVs] before significant maintenance is required. With more than 1,300 similar LRVs operating worldwide, the SFMTA is confident our forecasted 260 new vehicles will meet Bay Area transportation and economic needs.”

The full-scale model of the S200 SF displayed design features developed with public input gathered last fall, including a new seating configuration, new interior color schemes, new exterior design and a host of other features “that will improve service for hundreds of thousands of daily riders,” said Cahill. “This full-scale model marks a key design milestone in Siemens’ LRV manufacturing process. Siemens is thrilled to extend its technology partnership with San Francisco and provide modern light rail trains to the more-than 700,000 daily passengers who use San Francisco’s transportation system. Hosting the Mayor, future commuters and operators of this state-of-the-art light rail equipment to experience this important part of the design and production process is an exciting step in bringing these vehicles to San Francisco to enhance mobility in the city.”

The S200 SF is a newly-developed LRV designed for SFMTA and based on the Siemens Model S200. The high-floor vehicle is especially energy-efficient thanks to a lightweight drive system equipped with regenerative (electrodynamic) braking that returns power from the traction motors to the catenary wire during braking, and an LED lighting system that uses up to 40% less electricity than standard neon lighting. Pilot vehicles are scheduled to be delivered by year-end 2016. The S200 SF is Buy-America compliant, and manufactured in Siemens’ energy-efficient Sacramento, Calif., plant. Around 80% of the electricity used by this facility is generated by a two-megawatt photovoltaic installation on the building’s roof. The solar units reduce the facility’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by around 1,470 tons a year.

Click HERE to access a Siemens specifications sheet on the S200 SF.

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