The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) Rail Car Replacement Project Team recommended Siemens Mobility Incorporated to the GCRTA Board of Trustees as the preferred vendor to replace their aging rail fleet during the April 4, 2023, GCRTA Board Committee meeting.
The recommendation also included an initial request to award a contract to purchase up to 24 Siemens Model S200 rail cars, with the option to purchase up to a total of 60 cars in the future. The new rail cars are modeled after fleet currently used by Calgary Transit, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
New rail car features include:
• High floor light rail vehicles with two-door heights for high and low level platform accessibility.
• ADA accessibility capability at all rail station platforms.
• Advance infotainment system for enhanced digital and travel experience.
• Modern operator cab area with dedicated HVAC unit, heated windshield, and enhanced visibility.
• Ice cutter pantographs on every car.
• 52 passenger seats, two wheelchairs and four bicycles capacity per rail car.
The rail car replacement project total budget currently stands at $393 million, inclusive of new rail cars, infrastructure modifications, railroad connections, engineering, testing, training, field support, spare parts, and special tooling. Support for this project comes from The Federal Transportation Administration (FTA), Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) and The Greater Cleveland RTA.
-via Press Release