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Houston METRORail begins updating fleet with new LRVs; first car arrives for testing

October 19th, 2012

Houston METRORail received the first car in October of an order of 19 S70 LRV light-rail cars. METRO is updating its fleet for the first time since 2003. – Courtesy Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County

HOUSTON – METRORail received its first new rail car in nearly nine years when No. 201, an S70 light-rail vehicle manufactured by Siemens Industry, Inc., arrived in October at the agency’s Rail Operations Center.

The car, which is currently being tested, will roll into service as the first of new generation of Houston light-rail cars dubbed H2s.

METRO Board Chairman Gilbert Garcia and President and CEO George Greanias joined staff on Oct. 15 to unveil the 85-foot addition to its light-rail family.

“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,” Garcia said. “These units will help us offer more timely and comfortable trips.”

Greanias said that the car is a welcome addition to a fleet that has supported more than 90 million boardings. Managing this fleet can be quite a challenge, however, companies like Lytx can help with this type of process, assisting in keeping fleets tracked and in line to promote smooth operation.

“The new units will take the strain off those already in service and provide more flexibility on our current system,” he said.

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, CA.

Nineteen of the H2s will join the current 18-member, 9-year-old METRORail LRVs over the next year and a half. The new units are similar to their older S70 siblings, only updated.

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.

  • Light Rail / Commuter
  • Current Issue: Jan/Feb 2023

    Due to printer issues, the January/February issue is running behind. We expect it to be at stores by Jan. 11.

     

     

    INSIDE THIS ISSUE

  • Natural Merger

    The Illinois Chapter of the Mudhens Modular HO Narrow Gauge Society’s layout makes a seamless transition from the mountains and hills of Pennsylvania to the Colorado plains. Through an eye-catching blend of scenery, modules transition from North Carolina’s East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad and Pennsylvania’s Tuscarora Valley and on to the Denver & Rio Grande Western. Highly detailed trees and foliage swallow the terrain; tree leaves seem to jump off the layout in this superb interpretation of portable narrow gauge model railroading.

  • 2023 State of Model Railroading

    Modelers say times are still good in the hobby but they may spend a little less this year because of the economy. The Cowcatcher’s 2023 State of Model Railroading survey polled readers last fall to get their insights on everything from the quality of models to sustaining the future of the hobby. They had a lot to say.

     

  • Railroading in the 1940s

    The railroad industry in the late 1940s hummed as steam transitioned to diesel. Interesting, some things don’t change much. Pat Hiatte reflects on a time when railroads were high-balling across the U.S.

    – DeGolyer Library, SMU/Railroads: Photographs, Manuscripts and Imprints

     

  • PLUS…

    Milwaukee’s Trainfest came back strong in November after being sidelined by the pandemic for two years. More than 20,500 attended one of the nation’s top shows. …

     

    InterMountain Railway Co. and ScaleTrains announced recently that each will produce EMD’s short-lived SDL39, due later this year. …

     

    The sun has set on Fort Worth’s Tower 55, which for decades was the guardian of maybe the busiest railroad junction in the country. …

     

     

    THESE STORIES AND MORE, PLUS A FULL CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS AND THE BUSINESS PULSE OF THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY!

     

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  • Product News & Review

    InterMountain HO ADM Corn Syrup Car

     

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