The City of Cincinnati hosted a
public reveal of the vehicle design renderings and color scheme of the much-anticipated
streetcar. Mayor Mallory welcomed the crowd of over 100 supporters who packed into the Christian Moerlein Brewery. The color scheme was selected by a group of 20 community members who provided a recommendation based on aesthetics, fade resistance, and being easy to maintain. Mayor Mallory and City Manager Milton Dohoney then made the final decision.
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| Yes, Mayor Mallory's tie matches the light orange streetcar. |
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| With standing room only, over 100 supporters packed into Christian Moerlein Brewery for the announcement. |
While preliminary images may have hinted at the streetcar being red or light green, the official colors are white and light orange with accents of dark gray and black. A shade of orange was selected to pay tribute to the 1951 Cincinnati Street Railway streetcar, which was colored dark orange and cream. Inside, the sleek light grey walls are accented with stainless steel railings and hand straps. An inviting azure covers the seats, noted in the rail color palette booklet as Capri Blue. Side panel walls accent the interior with a matching light orange color.
In addition to learning about the colors, technical details about the vehicle design were shared. Cincinnati will have five streetcars, each with a 154 person capacity and 32 seats. Six seats fold up to make room for strollers, wheelchairs, and bicycles. The Cincinnati Streetcar is the first streetcar in the United States to be designed with curb level boarding at every stop, making it the most accessible in the nation. Curb level boarding means easy access for people with wheelchairs, visual impairments, walkers, or other mobility issues. Unlike a bus, they can enter the streetcar independently without the driver having to stop to assist them. Curb level boarding is also helpful for people with strollers, young children, or luggage.
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| Rendering of the streetcar on Main Street |
Representatives from
CAF USA, who will be manufacturing the vehicles, spoke at the event expressing great pride and excitement about building Cincinnati's streetcar as their flagship project. In gratitude, they gave away backpacks and pens to the crowd. The final assembly will take place in Elmira, New York in Summer 2014, with the first vehicle arriving in March 2015.
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| Representatives from CAF USA |
In lieu of the upcoming Mayoral and City Council election, all pro-streetcar candidates were also in attendance for the announcement: Roxanne Qualls
(Mayoral) as well as Mike Moroski, Yvette Simpson, Wendell Young, Laure Quinlivan, Michelle Dillingham, Chris Seelbach and Shawn Butler
(City Council).
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| Mayoral candidate Roxanne Qualls receives a roar of applause at the event |
