OCTA has offered a first look at the vehicles which will operate on the nascent  OC Streetcar system, Orange County's first light rail system which is slated to begin serving passengers in Spring 2026.

Built by Siemens Mobility at its factory in Sacramento, there are eight vehicles being delivered for the project. This week's announcement in Santa Ana marked the debut of the first.

“The arrival of the first OC Streetcar vehicle is an exciting moment for Orange County and a clear sign of the strong progress we’re making toward getting the system running,” said OCTA Chair Doug Chaffee in a news release. “We’re looking forward to beginning testing and ultimately launching a safe, reliable transit option that will better connect people to where they live, work and spend time.”

Map of the OC Streetcar systemOCTA

The Siemens S700 vehicles are 90 feet long, and have capacity for up to 211 passengers - with 62 seated and 149 standing. The vehicles have predominantly low floors, four double doors on each side, and are articulated into three sections for ease of turning.

After completion, the roughly $649-million rail line will run 4.15 miles between Santa Ana and Garden Grove, using a historic Pacific Electric Railway right-of-way and city streets. The alignment begins at Harbor Boulevard and Westminster Avenue in the west and at terminates at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center in the east. According to an official project website, the OC Streetcar will run every 10-to-15 minutes, making 10 stops in each direction

As has been common with many infrastructure projects in recent years, construction of the streetcar has been beset with delays and cost overruns. Once slated to open in 2022, the cost of the project has swelled by more than $100 million, an amount which was covered by new state funding issued in 2023.

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