SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - The Metropolitan Transit System Wednesday unveiled one of nine new trolley cars expected to begin service this weekend at the 12th and Imperial station.
The nine new cars were manufactured by Siemens, a company that has been providing San Diego with light rail vehicles since 1981.
MTS ordered 45 new trolley cars in 2016, and the remaining cars will be saved for the completion of the Mid-Coast Trolley expansion project in 2021.
“We’re going to be increasing service on the Blue Line and the Orange Line with these nine new trolleys,” said MTS Public Relations Manager Mark Olson. “They’re going to enhance our existing service.”
Gyasi Redding has been using the trolley for nine years and is pleased to see the next generation trolley cars.
“It’s always cool to get something new,” Redding said. “I take the trolley every day to work.”
The new features of the trolley cars are intended to improve the passenger experience. There’s a wider middle section that will provide better accessibility for wheelchairs and bikes. MTS expects this to also improve passenger flow.
Seats are now covered in vinyl rather than cloth. Olson said this will make the daily chair cleanup much easier.
There’s also improved sightlines for security.
“Hopefully, it’ll make public transportation a little easier to use, a little more accessible for people … gas prices are crazy,” said Redding.
