Sound Transit Introduces New Light-Rail Vehicles

Sound Transit introduced the first of its new Series 2 light rail vehicles for passenger service on May 14.

The new vehicles, manufactured by Siemens Mobility, have larger windows, a wider center-car aisle, seating for 70, and twice as many bike hooks as currently provided. In addition, each car is equipped with dynamic passenger information displays and LED lighting improvements.

“These new cars will increasingly become the mainstay of our Link light rail fleet, improving our riders’ experiences as service expands north to Northgate and Lynnwood, south to Federal Way, and east to Bellevue and Redmond,” said Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff. “These new vehicles will be how we meet passenger demand for the dramatically expanded network we will deliver over the next three years.”

Sound Transit initially ordered 122 vehicles from Siemens in September 2016, followed by an additional 30 in April 2017. The combined orders totaled $642.5 million.

A total of 152 new Siemens-made vehicles will continue to be delivered and commissioned through 2024, joining Sound Transit’s initial fleet of 62 Series 1 Kinkisharyo vehicles. The Series 1 fleet will be retrofitted with an on-board system updated for new speed codes required for the agency’s future East Link line. The Series 1 vehicles will be swapped out of service for Series 2 vehicles as the new ones come online.

The first Series 2 vehicle arrived in June 2019 and underwent extensive commissioning and a 1000-mile burn-in test. Subsequent vehicles are each undergoing local testing and 300 miles of burn-in. To date, 41 vehicles in the 152-vehicle order have been delivered.