Cincinnati selects CAF vehicles for streetcar project

The City of Cincinnati selected CAF USA as the preferred vendor to provide up to five modern streetcar vehicles to the first phase of the Cincinnati Streetcar project.

The streetcar line, which will cover a four-mile loop of in the city's downtown, will cost an estimated $95 million.

The city will now enter into contract negotiations with CAF USA and also begin the federally-required pre-award audit for compliance with federal Buy America regulations.

The vehicles will be assembled at CAF USA's facility in Elmira, N.Y.

The manufacturer was selected through an extensive, federally-compliant procurement process that began with the issuance of a RFP in September 2011. Five vendors submitted proposals by the due date.  

The vehicle offered by CAF USA is conventionally powered with a 100% low-floor design. While the city’s RFP process included the ability for vendors to propose conventionally powered "on-wire" vehicles as well as "off-wire" technology, the "off-wire" technology was higher priced and determined to have limited applicability, given the topography of Cincinnati's first streetcar route, according to a statement from the Mayor's office.