Valley Metro introduces new fleet of light rail vehicles

PHOENIX — Valley Metro on Monday debuted three new vehicles for its light rail system as part of an upgraded fleet that will be introduced gradually.

Features of the new vehicles include a large interior, racks for bicycles, energy-efficient LED lighting, heavy-duty air conditioning systems, as well as a camera for operators to keep track of occupancy levels on the train, passenger flow and potential incidents, according to a press release.

Vehicles part of the new fleet will also have a front-end bumper that is designed to minimize collision impact, in addition to a lubrication system for the wheels to reduce noise when passing through track curves.

Eight more trains as part of the new fleet will join the 28-mile system that goes between northwest Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa after testing, Valley Metro said.

New year, new trains 🎉 Our new trains from @SiemensMobility are ready for riders starting Monday! pic.twitter.com/14SRl7JgsX

— Valley Metro (@valleymetro) January 8, 2022

“Adding new train fleet is a very important part of our light rail system expansion for today and in the near future when two new extensions open in Phoenix,” Scott Smith, Valley Metro CEO, said in the release.

The light rail vehicles are manufactured by Siemens Mobility at its Sacramento, California, facility, Valley Metro said, with the design based on the company’s popular S700 platform.

“This vehicle was designed with passengers top of mind,” Michael Cahill, president of Siemens Mobility in North America, said in the release.

“Together with Valley Metro, we’ve created an LRV (light rail vehicle) that is both safe and convenient while providing the ultimate passenger experience to metro Phoenix riders.”

Valley Metro said it ordered another 14 vehicles in 2020 that will be manufactured by Siemens Mobility starting in 2023, eventually bringing the total number of new trains in the fleet up to 25.

Follow @KTAR923