Skip to main content

News

OC Streetcar Project Seeks Proposals for Vehicles

OCTA Board approves release of request for proposals from firms to manufacture and deliver modern electric streetcars for Santa Ana/Garden Grove project

ORANGE – Plans for Orange County’s first modern streetcar continue to roll forward as the Orange County Transportation Authority seeks proposals for the streetcar vehicles that will carry passengers through the heart of Orange County.

OCTA today released a Request for Proposals for the manufacturing and delivery of eight streetcar vehicles that will serve the OC Streetcar project in Santa Ana and Garden Grove.

Plans for the $298-million project are in the design and engineering phase, and the OC Streetcar is scheduled to begin operating in approximately four years.

OCTA continues to work closely with Federal Transit Administration officials during each step of the planning process. The project has entered into FTA’s New Starts program. It got a major boost earlier this year when $125 million for the OC Streetcar was included in the President’s 2017 fiscal budget, signaling strong federal support.

Other funding is coming from the state, which has awarded the project $25.5 million in cap-and-trade funds, and from local sources, including Measure M, Orange County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements.

Proposals received in response to the request for streetcars will be weighted on the following criteria:

  • Technical requirements: 50 percent
  • Cost and price: 40 percent
  • Qualifications, related experience: 10 percent

Interested firms can attend a pre-proposal conference on Jan. 10 and the deadline to submit a proposal is April 28, 2017.

The OC Streetcar will operate on a 4.1-mile route from the busy Santa Ana train station, up Santa Ana Boulevard and Fourth Street and along the Pacific Electric right-of-way to Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove.

The route will serve Santa Ana’s thriving downtown and important job centers that include county and local government offices and courthouses in the Civic Center. The OC Streetcar route will also connect with 18 of OCTA’s busiest bus routes. It is expected to carry up to 7,500 passengers per day within its first year of operation.

Up to six streetcars at a time are planned to run along the route, stopping every 10 minutes during peak hours at 10 stations in each direction. Two streetcars will serve as spare vehicles.

Construction of the OC Streetcar is scheduled to begin in 2018 with testing and operation expected to start in 2020.

Vendors can register online at www.octa.net, under the Business tab. For information on the project, visit www.OCstreetcar.com.

Back to News Releases

Meet the Team

Joel Zlotnik

Communications Manager
(714) 560-5713

Adam Raley

Communications Specialist, Principal
(714) 560-5510

Media Contacts

Eric Carpenter

Communications Specialist, Senior
(714) 560-5697

Megan Abba

Communications Specialist, Senior
(714) 560-5671

Resources

OCTA Media Team on Twitter
Media Resources

Stock photos and logos, and links to annual reports, board agendas and more.

About

The Orange County Transportation Authority’s Public Information Office responds to media inquiries, issues press releases and provides information about OCTA to the public and stakeholders.