Orange County transit agency seeks streetcar vehicle builder

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) on Monday released a request for proposals for the manufacturing and delivery of eight streetcar vehicles for the planned Orange County Streetcar system in Southern California.

The agency will evaluate proposals based on cost, technical requirements, and the submitting firms' qualifications and related experience, OCTA officials said in a press release.

OCTA will hold a pre-proposal conference Jan. 10. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 28, 2017.

The 4.1-mile OC Streetcar line will run from Santa Ana to Garden Grove, Calif., and connect with 18 of OCTA's busiest bus routes. The streetcar is expected to carry up to 7,500 passengers a day within its first year of operation.

Up to six streetcars at a time are planned to operate along the route, stopping every 10 minutes during peak hours.

Construction is slated to begin in 2018, with testing and operation expected to start in 2020.

The project, which has entered the Federal Transit Administration's New Starts program, is estimated to cost $298 million.