New Muni Vehicles Coming

Muni’s funding issues — which were the focus of two separate propositions on the November ballot — have helped keep the city from replacing and expanding its fleet of light rail vehicles (LRVs). That has resulted in a lack of capacity, increased breakdowns, and slow service, which is all exacerbated by the city’s growing population.

Help is on the way following late-2014 approval by the Board of Supervisors of a new contract with Siemens for the purchase of the next generation of LRVs. “Siemens has a great reputation, and the new vehicles will require less maintenance and will be more reliable, better-designed, and quieter,” said District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener. “Muni is accelerating its purchase of the new light rail vehicles by acquiring 40 of them several years earlier than anticipated. This is great news for the system.”