Sound Transit receives first of 152 new Siemens LRVs

Sound Transit introduced the first of its 152 new Siemens light rail vehicles during an event at its Operations and Maintenance facility in Seattle.

The new vehicles are expected to more than triple Sound Transit’s current fleet size of 62 LRVs in service. The new vehicles will also feature several improvements in on-board systems and passenger experience over the current Kinkisharyo-built fleet.

Each of the new vehicles will provide 74 seats, with larger windows, a wider center-car aisle, more seats with space to stow luggage, and four bicycle hooks. Each car will also come equipped with dynamic passenger information displays and LED lighting improvements.

“The new vehicles are critical to meet ridership demand as we move forward aggressively in building our light rail network,” said Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff. “These new cars will become backbone of the fleet serving Northgate, Lynnwood, Federal Way, Bellevue, and Redmond in the next five years.”

New Link light rail vehicle arrival from Sound Transit on Vimeo.

Sound Transit ordered 122 LRVs from Siemens in September 2016, adding another order for 30 more LRVs in April 2017. The contract for the two orders totaled $642.5 million.

The arrival of the first Siemens vehicle marks the start of regular delivery of between one and three vehicles per month through 2024. The new cars will undergo extensive testing and commissioning before entering revenue service. The first of the new cars is expected to enter service early next year.