
Friday, Dec. 4, 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: Rocky Merz, 513-352-5358 or Ursula Miller, 513-352-3417
CINCINNATI – Crews for the Cincinnati Streetcar will conduct the system’s first multi-vehicle tests along the full 3.6-mile route Monday, Dec. 7, starting on Race Street in Over-the-Rhine at approximately 9:30 a.m.
The tests will take place in four separate locations along the route in Over-the-Rhine and the Central Business District.
The first test will be on Race Street, the next on Walnut and then along two stretches of Main Street, at the southern end of the route near The Banks and another farther north on Main between Central Parkway and Court Street.
Police will escort the streetcars as they travel the route to help manage traffic. There will be brief, rolling closures in the streetcar lane and at adjacent intersections as crews prep and conduct each test. Motorists traveling in these areas should expect periodic delays.
The two streetcars will be positioned in tandem and will accelerate simultaneously up to 25 miles per hour at each location as part of the tests. The tests will be conducted at least twice in each location.
This round of tests will help determine how much power is needed per substation when two streetcars are running at the same time and how well all aspects of the system are working together. Crews already have run tests to check track alignment and clearances, as well as overhead wire and substation performance.
In addition, as preparation for Monday, crews will conduct short-circuit tests at each of the four substations on Sunday morning, Dec. 6.
The short-circuit tests, by design, will cause intermittent, audible ‘boom’ sounds within earshot of each substation as current levels fluctuate. Residents and visitors should know that the sounds are expected and do not pose a danger to public safety.
The remaining three streetcars in the five-vehicle fleet are scheduled to be delivered in January and February. Crews will continue live-power testing until pausing for the holidays on Dec. 17. Testing will resume in early January.
Passenger service for the streetcar is expected to begin in September 2016.