SacRT begins testing new light rail trains
SACRAMENTO — Sacramento's long-awaited light rail upgrades finally are feeling real.
"These new light rail trains are really going to be a game changer for mobility for the Sacramento region," Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) spokesperson Jessica Gonzalez said.
The first of a new fleet of low-floor light rail trains hit the tracks in Sacramento on Wednesday to begin testing later in the evening. At 11:00 p.m. between the Watt/I-80 and Swanston stations, the train will begin a long series of dynamic tests tracking carloads, propulsion and braking. Passenger service with these new trains should begin in the summer of 2024. The new trains are more ADA-compliant and said to be more spacious, comfortable and clean for riders.
"Two middle doors will actually deploy a small ramp meaning people in mobility devices and wheelchairs will be able to easily roll themselves onto the train," Gonzalez explained.
The trains themselves are local products, being produced in Sacramento by Siemens. The ultimate hope is a fleet of 76 trains to service the entire region and any future expansions to the light rail lines. As of right now, 28 trains are officially on the manufacturing line.
"Siemens is delivering about two trains every month for the next year or so as they're literally being built. They're coming off the assembly line, they're going through testing at Siemens and then they begin our testing process at our facility," Gonzalez said.
SacRT's current fleet of trains has been plagued by maintenance issues and aging technology. Some cars were originally a part of the city of Santa Clara's mass transit line while others are as much as 30 years old.
"They don't even make parts for some of these trains anymore and so our crews have been working really hard to keep them together and going," Gonzalez added.
The new trains are arriving right as the city of Sacramento looks to pull itself out of the shadow of the pandemic, in which a significant amount of SacRT ridership — state government and service workers — went home and didn't come back. Now, spurred on by the success of the Kings in downtown, the city and its transit agency are hoping to see more residential investment in the downtown core and a variation of industries throughout the region.
"We're about 80% of what we were pre-pandemic," Gonzalez said. "So we hope with these new trains this really will have people willing to try transit again wanting to try transit maybe for the first time."
She added, "We want more reliable easier convenient transit options because we know people hate being stuck in traffic."
