USA: Stadler has announced its first US light rail vehicle order, covering the supply of up to 80 Citylink cars tailored for Utah Transit Authority’s TRAX service in Salt Lake City.
An initial $129m firm order for 20 LRVs was signed on October 23. This is being partly funded by a Federal Transit Administration grant, and options for up to 60 more vehicles will be exercised subject to funding being secured.
The LRVs will be built locally at Stadler’s factory in the city, and will meet federal Buy America requirements. ‘Building streetcars for Salt Lake City is another milestone for Stadler’, said the manufacturer’s CEO Markus Bernsteiner. ’The UTA order is the first light rail order in the United States for Stadler and the first large Citylink order outside the European continent. We are convinced that the Citylink will be well received by customers here.’
Stadler was selected ‘after a competitive and comprehensive procurement process’, UTA Executive Director Jay Fox said. The low-floor vehicles would be fully accessible and carry 14% more passengers than the current fleet, with the local factory providing ‘a unique opportunity for UTA to work directly with our equipment supplier and fast track adjustments that develop throughout the build process’.
Fox said ’with a 25-year-old TRAX system and ridership already up 17% this year system-wide, these new vehicles will help UTA modernise and expand its light rail system for generations to come’.
