For Jeff Thom, quality public transit is key to living independently as a person with disabilities.
Thom, who is blind, knows the ways Sacramento Regional Transit’s light rail can been difficult to navigate — he’s had to be careful while navigating the ramps onto the train and has had to rely on auditory directions to know when he’s reached his stop.
Some light rail trains haven’t been updated in 35 years, which has caused difficulty for riders with disabilities. It’s sometimes difficult to hear announcements on trains, and getting onto a car has also been concerning for riders with mobility issues, Thom said.
But now, with Sacramento Regional Transit’s roll-out of new trains, those concerns may be alleviated.
Manufactured by Siemens Mobility, these new trains showcase a new low-floor design and include at-platform boarding, with deployable ramps at the two center doors. This allows riders to open doors with a push of a button. And instead of having to walk up stairs when entering the car, riders can simply walk inside.
Thom, who also serves as the chair of the Sacramento Regional Transit’s mobility advisory council, helped oversee these new light rail trains that are designed to be more accessible for seniors, riders with disabilities and individuals with strollers or bicycles.
“Without public transit for people who are trans dependent, as most of us are, that just makes all the difference,” Thom said. “The better the quality of transit that you have, the more independent you are able to.”
Additionally, these trains include digital signs with upcoming stations and travel updates. There will also be improved audio announcements telling riders when they are approaching stops.
“(The cars) seem very comfortable,” Thom said. “I think the announcements are going to be clearer.”
Creating more accessible cars was born from the council trying to increase accessibility throughout the light rain trains. On the older model of trains, Americans with Disabilities Act compliant access is only available inside the front car. The new trains, with expanded ramp accessibility, makes getting on and off accessible in multiple places.
“These new trains are more than just a transit upgrade; they are a promise to our community to provide equitable, efficient, and future-ready transportation,” said Patrick Kennedy, the Sacramento Regional Transit board chair, in a news release. “This is an exciting time for Sacramento, and we look forward to continuing to serve our riders with these new, improved vehicles.”
To make the transition seamless for riders, Sacramento Regional Transit brought in displays of the new cars to go over doors and ramps to show how they would function. These trains were shown during tours to community members and different leadership groups in Sacramento, like the city’s mobility advisory council. This was done to receive feedback on the new trains’ design.
Instructional videos and audio recordings on how to use the new cars have also been in use.
“We need to make it the most convenient way to travel possible, so that we can get riders off the road. We can improve our air quality,” said Jessica Gonzalez, a spokesperson for Sacramento Regional Transit District. “We can be that option people choose to go to instead of driving. That’s our ultimate goal.”
How many new trains are running?
Eight trains are running on the Gold Line and Green Line. Sacramento Regional Transit will roll out its remaining 20 new cars over time, said Jessica Gonzalez, the director of marketing, communications and public information of Sacramento Regional Transit District. said. Twenty-five additional cars are being manufactured, with a contract to order 76 trains.
Sacramento Regional Transit will operate on a “mix fleet” of low-floor and high-floor trains on the Gold and Green lines.
Construction for low-floor trains on the Blue Line will begin later this month.
The addition of new cars was part of an upgrade that began four years ago. Some of Sacramento Regional Transit’s trains are past their prime. They’re the same trains when light rail launched, Gonzalez said. These trains are so old their parts aren’t even made anymore, resulting in the transit agency finding parts from older trains to keep them running.
“This was a major challenge for our light rail maintenance,” she said.
The addition of new trains is part of a light rail modernization project. Sacramento Regional Transit is continuing construction on adding a passing track for Folsom-area stations to cut down wait times to 15 minutes. Because there is one track for light rail trains running between Sunrise and Historic Folsom stations, riders may have to wait half an hour for their next train.
Construction on Blue Line stations will begin this month and will continue through 2027.
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