Streetcar Vehicle Production Under Way

Production of Cincinnati's modern streetcar vehicles got under way in February, starting with a series of design review meetings.

City and SORTA staff spent an intensive week meeting with CAF, the Spanish firm selected as the manufacturer of the City's fleet of 5 modern streetcars. The meetings kicked off the Design Phase of the vehicle contract, which has more than than 300 pages of technical specifications for the vehicles and contract requirements.

Cincinnati's streetcar is based on CAF's Urbos 3 model and will be the first 100% low-floor streetcar in the United States, making it more accessible for all riders.

During the meetings, held at CAF's facilities in Zaragoza and Beasain, Spain, CAF presented details of how CAF will meet the technical specifications. CAF also shared ideas and recommendations for the vehicle based on its extensive experience in streetcar and light rail manufacturing.

City and SORTA staff toured CAF's production facilities, where certain parts of the City's fleet will be manufactured. They also met with employees from operating streetcar systems in Seville, Zaragoza, and Bilbao, all of which use CAF vehicles.

Final assembly of the vehicles will take place in Elmira, New York.