Siemens tapped to build streetcars for Fort Lauderdale

Broward County's board of commissioners in Florida has approved a $31.4 million contract to purchase five streetcars from Siemens Industry Inc.

The units will be used on a planned  2.8-mile mile system in Fort Lauderdale, the Sun Sentinel reported Sept. 16. The board authorized purchasing five Siemens S70 vehicles for the Wave Streetcar, which is slated to open in early 2021. Construction on the $195 million project is expected to start in 2018.

The Wave Streetcar project is a partnership between Broward County, the Florida Department of Transportation, Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization, Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority and the Federal Transit Administration.

Siemens previously was selected to build S70 units for transit-rail systems Phoenix and Charlotte, North Carolina.