On May 7, OCTA unveiled the first vehicle that will operate on the OC Streetcar system, giving OCTA Board members and elected officials a look at what will be the county’s first modern, electric streetcar and another important zero-emission transit option for central Orange County.
The vehicle, manufactured by Siemens Mobility in Sacramento, is the first of eight to be delivered for the OC Streetcar. Attendees at the event, held at the streetcar’s base in Santa Ana, were invited to walk through the vehicle and learn about its design and features from OCTA staff.
“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, also the county’s Fourth District Supervisor. “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.”
The OC Streetcar will run on a 4-mile route between the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center and Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove. It will serve some of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the county, Downtown Santa Ana and the Civic Center, and connect with Metrolink rail service, regional and international bus services and OCTA’s busiest local bus routes.
The OC Streetcar is being constructed in coordination with the cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove, the California Department of Transportation, and the Federal Transit Administration. The $649 million project is funded with federal, state and local dollars, including Measure M, the county’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements.
The track for the streetcar project is finished along the entire route and, overall, the project is approximately 92% finished. Testing of the OC Streetcar vehicles is set to begin in coming weeks in the PE right of way, then later in the year move to city streets. Following testing, the public operations are slated to begin in spring 2026.
For more information about the project, visit here.