Milwaukee issues RFP for streetcar vehicles

The city of Milwaukee on Monday issued a request for proposals for its initial streetcar vehicles.

City officials anticipate the first four cars to cost $17.6 million. An additional $4.1 million would be spent on another vehicle to run on the system's proposed lakefront line.

The city issued its first request for proposals on Monday, but will not award a final contract until late August. The deadline to submit proposals will be Friday, May 8.

As part of a two-tiered competitive process, the city will issue a second, revised request to get manufacturers' "best and final offer," according to the Milwaukee Business Journal. The process is aimed at getting a lower price on the vehicles.

Officials expect four to six manufacturers to respond to the city's request, out of about 12 that are able to build this kind of streetcar. The vehicles will be similar to those used in Atlanta, Portland, Salt Lake City and Seattle, and they'll have electric power operations, bicycle access and multiple doors, according to the streetcar's website.

The first vehicles would arrive in Milwaukee in 2017 under the current request's timeline.