DALLAS – Brookville Equipment Corporation (BROOKVILLE) delivered the first of two off-wire capable Liberty Modern Streetcars to Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) on Fri., March 20, 2015, marking the first-ever delivery of an American designed and manufactured off-wire capable modern streetcar to a U.S. transit agency for the downtown Union Station to Oak Cliff streetcar line, slated to open in April 2015.
The BROOKVILLE Liberty Modern Streetcars will operate along a four-stop, 1.6-mile track that provides access for citizens of Dallas’ urban core to the downtown Union Station hub, which connects to DART’s Red/Blue/Green light rail lines and the Trinity Railway Express with service to Fort Worth.
“The shipment of the first Liberty Modern Streetcar marks a major achievement in the 97-year history of Brookville Equipment Corporation,” said BROOKVILLE President Marion Van Fosson. “We are proud to partner with Dallas to deliver a streetcar vehicle that is both designed and manufactured in the United States, and will add an element of efficiency and charm to one of the most evolved and impressive transit infrastructures in the country.”
Utilizing an innovative battery energy storage system (ESS) to power the car’s four traction motors, the Liberty Modern Streetcars will travel approximately one mile of the 1.6-mile line without the aid of an overhead catenary system (OCS) while crossing the Houston Street Viaduct.
Featuring three passenger compartments, the 66.5 foot-long, 8 foot-wide cars include over 70 percent low-floor area, providing accessible seating for passengers and automatic leveling system that allows efficient and easy level boarding at station stops. The streetcars will run on standard 56.5-inch track gauge and utilize BROOKVILLE’s industry-proven soft ride trucks powered by four 99 kW AC traction motors while traveling at a maximum speed of 44 mph.
The second Liberty Modern Streetcar is currently slated for an April delivery. DART holds an option for two additional Liberty Modern Streetcars as part of a $9.4 million contract agreed upon in March 2013.
ABOUT BROOKVILLE EQUIPMENT CORPORATION – STREETCAR DIVISION
Headquartered in Brookville, Pa., in the scenic foothills of the Allegheny forests, Brookville Equipment Corporation is a world class American manufacturer of innovative powered transportation solutions for the mining/tunneling, rail freight and passenger transportation industries. BROOKVILLE contributed to the first American manufactured streetcars since the 1950s in 2001 and has modernized, manufactured and remanufactured PCC and heritage streetcars and trolleys for the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (NORTA), the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA) and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). Building upon the company’s 95 years of rail-mounted vehicle manufacturing experience and over a decade of streetcar manufacturing, BROOKVILLE introduced the innovative Liberty Modern Streetcar design in 2012 and is currently producing its first modern streetcars for the City of Dallas and Dallas Area Rapid Transit