Sun Link Tucson Streetcar

Challenges

Integrate a modern streetcar line into the fabric of Central Tucson neighborhoods and the University of Arizona's main campus
Develop a plan that is sensitive to the needs of other street users including motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians
Develop facility and systems designs of high-quality aesthetic with a minimally intrusive overhead contact system (OCS)
Achieve a high level of operating safety using appropriate communications and traffic control technologies

Solutions

Hatch LTK provided consulting engineering for the City of Tucson's streetcar system design
Assisted with streetcar vehicle procurement and preliminary design development for all systems elements of the project
Assisted in establishing functional requirements for the maintenance facility and developed its overall layout
During final design and construction, Hatch LTK prepared technical specifications for the vehicles, participated in the industry review process, and assisted the City of Tucson with the evaluation of car builder proposals
Conducted design review and provided oversight of production and testing
Provided final design for the traction power system (substations, OCS, corrosion control), train-to-wayside control (TWC) to protect train movements in city streets, communications (CCTV and integration of the bus automatic vehicle location and communications system into the streetcar design), and fare collection

Highlights

The line opened to passengers on July 25, 2014
Eight modern streetcars are used on the 3.9-mile (6.3 km) double-tracked alignment, serving twenty-one stations
Seats are designed to flip up to provide room for passengers who board with bikes

Project numbers

USD $196 million project
It was Tucson's largest construction project ever, and it has already made positive impacts, including: 500 construction jobs created, 1,500-plus new housing units, 50-plus new restaurants, bars, and cafes along the route, $63 million-plus in streetcar federal funds, $800 million invested from the private sector to-date along the route
More than 100,000 people live and work within a half-mile of the streetcar route
According to a study on streetcar demographics, 67% of riders are students and 25% are working professionals