The Spanish manufacturer CAF has been chosen by the Omaha Streetcar Authority to manufacture 6 trams, with an option for 29 additional units. All of them will be able to run on catenary-free sections thanks to the OESS (Onboard Energy Storage Systems) equipment marketed by CAF under the Greentech brand.
The trams will belong to the Urbos platform, each with 3 modules. As the manufacturer has informed Trenvista, the design and development phase is beginning, so it is still too early to give more details about the vehicles.
The contract, worth approximately 50 million euros, includes the necessary depot parts and maintenance tools.
The city of Omaha is developing a tram network that will initially consist of a 4.82 km long line with 16 stops. The line will be separated in its central section to run on parallel streets in opposite directions.
This new public transport service is part of the action plans to increase population density and boost the development of Omaha’s urban environment.
This is the first time that CAF has supplied catenary-free trams for the United States, although light vehicles already operate in the cities of Kansas City, Cincinnati, Houston, Sacramento, Pittsburgh and Boston.
Precisely for the capital of Massachusetts, it is manufacturing 102 light trains for its Green Line; the second contract awarded to CAF by the city. In 2014, the city government chose the Spanish manufacturer to supply 24 light trains for the same line.
