SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The new low-floor light rail vehicles are going to be a game changer for transit in the Sacramento region.
SacRT spokesperson Jessica Gonzalez says the aging light rail fleet is 30-years-old, and the trains need to be upgraded and swapped out.
Currently, when you come to a light rail station, you have to climb up stairs to get on to the light rail trains if you are in a mobility device.
Then, one would have to go to the first car and get on a ramp to get on where the operator has to open the door and let’s you onboard, so it’s a little bit of a process.
With the new low-floor light rail vehicles, you'll be able to roll on or walk on any of the doors, making boarding and exiting train much faster. It'll also be much easier for people in mobility devices, or even those with bicycles.
SacRT was awarded $30 million in state grant funding. A majority of the money is going to buy the new trains, putting the train count up to 36.
“These are going to be out on our system and testing later this summer, so people will be able to see them. We won’t be able to ride them quite yet because they do have to get a certain amount of miles under their belt before we put them out to the public to use,” said Gonzalez.
Other projects include $5 million to support the construction of a new north-south aligned light rail station to connect Sacramento Valley station to the future Railyards plaza, as well as expanding contactless fare payment to buses and the new light rail trains.
