editor Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 METRO is happy to announce the arrival of its newest family member, Light Rail Vehicle #201 – a Siemens S70 that will join 18 others in carrying Houstonians via METRORail. This is the first new rail car for the system in nearly nine years. The vehicle arrived at METRO’s Rail Operations Center where it will be tested before being placed into service. The unit is a welcome addition to a very busy fleet which this year has surpassed 90 million boardings. This train, and the 18 others to follow, will allow METRORail to carry more passengers. Its low floor enables passengers to board at street level, providing easier access for people of all abilities. The delivery is part of an $83 million contract awarded to Siemens Industry, Inc. for 19 new S70 light-rail vehicles along with spare parts, training and manuals. The first order, delivered in 2003, included 18 LRVs. The vehicles are being manufactured at Siemens’ rail vehicle manufacturing plant in Sacramento, Calif. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Its low floor enables passengers to board at street level, providing easier access for people of all abilities.Will it be accessible for people with disabilities? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 So are they going to start running this on Red Line before the other lines are completed? It sounds like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Will it be accessible for people with disabilities?LOL, good one.So are they going to start running this on Red Line before the other lines are completed? It sounds like it.Hope so they need the added capacity. Trains should be no less than two cars during the day especially during rush hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Awesome news. I wonder how long it takes to manufacture one of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Can someone explain to me how Siemens got the job to do the metrorail trains? I thought there was a scandal of sorts that involved a Spanish company trying to build the trains for METRO. Well, Siemens is German so it doesnt quite make sense to me. Maybe it wasn't the trains that Im thinking of...?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 The trains are built in Sacramento, CA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 These Siemens cars were bought using an option that the Utah Transit Authority wasn't going to exercise. They are intended to expand capacity on the Red Line.CAF was the Spanish company involved with the improper procurement that had to be rebid. They were going to build a few of the cars in Spain and the rest in the US, but that wasn't good enough to satisfy FTA Buy America requirements. The ended up winning the contract anyway, albeit with a different vehicle than they proposed initially. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 hopefully all the new cars are put on the red line, and the cars on the red line are moved to the other lines. these new cars have much higher capacity, and the red line needs the added capacity now. the other lines might not need the extra capacity for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 I wonder what the paint scheme is. Same grey, blue and white? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 hopefully all the new cars are put on the red line, and the cars on the red line are moved to the other lines. these new cars have much higher capacity, and the red line needs the added capacity now. the other lines might not need the extra capacity for a while.These new Siemens cars are actually shorter than the ones we have, 81 feet versus 96. The 19 new ones will augment the existing fleet of 18 on the red line. The CAF cars were ordered for the new lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 hopefully all the new cars are put on the red line, and the cars on the red line are moved to the other lines. these new cars have much higher capacity, and the red line needs the added capacity now. the other lines might not need the extra capacity for a while.Old car: 241New car: 200Lower capacity. The new cars will have bike racks, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 At 81 feet in length, it is theoretically possible to link 3 of these trains and still fit with downtown's 250 foot long blocks without blocking cross traffic. It remains to be seen whether it can be done in reality, or if METRO will do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Metro plans to deploy this first one on the Red Line in January/February. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Old car: 241New car: 200Lower capacity. The new cars will have bike racks, however.why was I thinking these had more capacity? I guess I'm confusing these with the ones we get with the new lines?edit: and there's a picture of the new ones over on the lot of swamps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 why was I thinking these had more capacity? I guess I'm confusing these with the ones we get with the new lines?These are the new ones, for both Red Line and the new lines. Not sure what capacity was on the ones on the canceled contract with Spanish rail cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 These are the new ones, for both Red Line and the new lines. Not sure what capacity was on the ones on the canceled contract with Spanish rail cars.I think we are also getting 39 additional new rail cars from CAF, in addition to these 19 new Siemens cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Looks like you're right: http://www.metro-magazine.com/news/story/2011/11/Houston-Metro-CAF-USA-rail-vehicle-purchase-moving-ahead.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 At 81 feet in length, it is theoretically possible to link 3 of these trains and still fit with downtown's 250 foot long blocks without blocking cross traffic. It remains to be seen whether it can be done in reality, or if METRO will do so.Maybe, but they would be hanging out in the sidewalks! And the boarding level of the platforms isn't long enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Maybe, but they would be hanging out in the sidewalks! And the boarding level of the platforms isn't long enough.Not exactly. The block is 250 feet of private property, surrounded by city owned right of way, which includes the sidewalks. So, the blocks are actually closer to 270 feet long curb to curb.A 3 car trainset would be 243 long, allowing 3.5 feet at each end inside the crosswalks. And, the stations are pretty long. They run crosswalk to crosswalk, with a short ramp at each end.Doesn't mean it will happen, but it is possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Not exactly. The block is 250 feet of private property, surrounded by city owned right of way, which includes the sidewalks. So, the blocks are actually closer to 270 feet long curb to curb.A 3 car trainset would be 243 long, allowing 3.5 feet at each end inside the crosswalks. And, the stations are pretty long. They run crosswalk to crosswalk, with a short ramp at each end. Doesn't mean it will happen, but it is possible. The couplers add a few feet so it would be veeery close. An interesting approach Portland used to maximize capacity is to semi-permanently couple two trainsets so that the cab areas at the center of the two-car train can be used for seating. Their new S70s were ordered like this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 More pics at the testing facility: Press release: Unit 201 will roll into service as the first of a new generation of Houston light-rail cars dubbed H2’s. METRO Board Chairman Gilbert Garcia and President and CEO George Greanias joined staff at the Rail Operations Center at 1601 W. Bellfort today to unveil the 85-foot addition to its light-rail family. Garcia said “The new light-rail-vehicle (LRV) is not just a rail car. It represents a savings of nearly a year’s time in getting optimal service to rail passengers. These units will help us offer more timely and comfortable trips.” Greanias added, “METRORail has a very busy fleet which this year surpassed 90 million boardings. The new units will take the strain off those already in service and provide more flexibility on our current system.” Nineteen of the H2’s will join the current 18-member, nine-year-old METRORail LRVs over the next year and a half. The new units are similar to their older S70 siblings … with a little updating. The S70 LRV is electrically powered from an overhead wire (catenary) system and, fully loaded, carries about 200 passengers per car. The units can be coupled - up to four together – for more efficient service during peak times. Each new S70 unit is equipped with eight wide-opening, sliding doors all located in the low floor area, four on each side of the vehicle. The door spacing is optimal for passenger flow - the time necessary to enter and exit the vehicle - which can cause delays in the schedule. The design of the interior maximizes passenger space, using a knee-to-back seating arrangement and a large standing area with extra hand straps and grab bars for passenger safety. In addition to the amplified passenger space and wide doorways the updated S70 is also equipped with two designated wheelchair spaces, allowing priority seating for disabled passengers as well as a hydraulic system that permits height control and level boarding. METRORail is also responding to requests from cyclists by outfitting each new H2 S70 with two bicycle racks, located at front and rear doorways, which may make travel safer during hours when bikes are permitted on board. The delivery is part of an $83 million contract awarded to Siemens Industry, Inc. for 19 new S70 light-rail vehicles along with spare parts, training and manuals. The vehicles are manufactured at Siemens’ rail vehicle manufacturing plant in Sacramento, Calif. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I'm skeptical on the "they can couple four together" part. At most they might be able to squeeze three into those downtown blocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I'm skeptical on the "they can couple four together" part. At most they might be able to squeeze three into those downtown blocks.He didn't say that they would couple four together downtown. He said the trains were capable of being coupled up to four in tandem. You are blaming your misreading of the statement on Greanias, when it is your own jumping to conclusions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 He didn't say that they would couple four together downtown. He said the trains were capable of being coupled up to four in tandem. You are blaming your misreading of the statement on Greanias, when it is your own jumping to conclusions....the ONE time I've ever seen him be the least bit skeptical of METRO, and this is it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 He didn't say that they would couple four together downtown. He said the trains were capable of being coupled up to four in tandem. You are blaming your misreading of the statement on Greanias, when it is your own jumping to conclusions.Grenias didn't say anything about it at all. The article simply said they could be coupled up to four together. And in the same sentence it says "for more efficient service during peak times" implying that METRO would actually couple four together. In every article I've read it has been mentioned. I'm not blaming anything on anyone, lol....the ONE time I've ever seen him be the least bit skeptical of METRO, and this is it.Haha, you should recall in the other thread a few days ago I was skeptical that in the instance of an "against" vote in tuesday's referendum that GM payments would actually end. I'm hopeful they will, but I doubt that more money will be spent on transit regardless. Oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Grenias didn't say anything about it at all. The article simply said they could be coupled up to four together. And in the same sentence it says "for more efficient service during peak times" implying that METRO would actually couple four together. In every article I've read it has been mentioned. I'm not blaming anything on anyone, lol.As one example, the Rodeo is a peak time. You could couple four, open doors on two, load people, roll it so the other two are on deck and open them for loading. Do this at each stop and move more people, maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 As one example, the Rodeo is a peak time. You could couple four, open doors on two, load people, roll it so the other two are on deck and open them for loading. Do this at each stop and move more people, maybe.That's an interesting idea. It shouldn't be a problem outside of downtown maybe. It'd be hard to do it quickly enough to not disrupt traffic majorly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.