Through the overhaul, TriMet will be able to maintain a State of Good Repair for the fleet and retain its fleet safety, performance and passenger comfort standards throughout vehicle life. The LRVs are among 119 Siemens Mobility Light Rail Vehicles that are currently being used by TriMet, an ongoing relationship that started in 1995 and has continued to this day. Refurbishing LRVs not only prolongs the life of vehicles, many of which have been in service since the mid- to late 1990's, but also saves expensive energy and resources used in manufacturing new vehicles. The decreased waste and energy support environmental sustainability goals for both TriMet and Siemens Mobility.
"Midlife overhauls of LRVs such as this are an industry standard and vital as TriMet works diligently to provide world-class transit service that our customers can enjoy and rely on," said TriMet General Manager Doug Kelsey. "We look forward to renewing these vehicles so they can continue to provide reliable and on-time service for riders throughout our growing light rail system for decades to come."
"We are excited to expand our longstanding relationship with Portland TriMet. Since their first order of 46 LRVs in 1995, we have watched the city sustainably grow and provide transit options for their riders that not only meet the demands of the city's growing population, but also increase availability," stated Sabrina Soussan, Siemens Mobility CEO. "This mid-life overhaul adds current technology and functionality to improve the customer experience while also increasing the value of the LRVs sustainably over their lifecycle."
Two pilot LRVs will be overhauled at the Siemens Mobility West Coast Rail Services Hub, located in greater Sacramento, Calif. The remaining overhauls will then take place at a newly opened Siemens Mobility Rail Services facility in Clackamas, Oregon. The work will ramp up in Clackamas next year and is expected to provide a backlog of work through 2025. This facility is expected to hire more than 15 employees over the course of the overhaul project.
In 1995, TriMet placed an order for 46 SD660 vehicles, which were manufactured at Siemens Mobility's North American Rail Manufacturing Facility. This was followed by orders for another 33 SD660 vehicles over the next five years. In 2009, TriMet began procuring Siemens S70 vehicles, with an initial order of 22, followed by another order for 18 in 2012.
Siemens Mobility is the market leader for Light Rail Vehicles in North America with more than 1800 awarded LRVs. With the majority of Siemens Mobility's installed base LRV's not yet at the midlife overhaul point, Siemens Mobility Rail Services business is strategically positioned to support our present and new customers with innovative service solutions in the most responsive manner.
For further information about Siemens Mobility GmbH, please see:
www.siemens.com/mobility