San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System announced on Friday it donated 39 trolley cars to the Province of Mendoza in Argentina for their Metrotranvía light rail network.
This is the second time MTS is sending Trolleys to the Province of Mendoza. The light rail vehicles were donated as a part of the second generation of Trolleys at MTS, the Siemens SD100 series, that MTS began decommissioning earlier this year.
Elected officials from San Diego and Argentina signed a declaration committing to the partnership and continuation of operations of the MTS trolley fleet in Mendoza. The first nine cars have already arrived in Mendoza, and shipments are expected to continue over the course of the next year.
"We are proud to have this partnership with the Province of Mendoza, and the opportunity for previous generations of Trolleys to continue operating and safely transporting people," said Nathan Fletcher, MTS Board Chair, and Chair, San Diego County Board of Supervisors. "It's amazing to see the great working condition these Trolleys have maintained after three decades of service in San Diego. This is a testament to the excellent work of maintenance crews, technicians, and operators for MTS."
Mendoza’s light rail infrastructure is compatible with San Diego's LRVs, which was manufactured in 2012 by Siemens. MTS sold 24 Trolleys to Mendoza from its first-generation fleet, according to the transportation agency.
"For us, this partnership with MTS is a privilege. The donation of the Trolleys to be added to our Metrotanvía Mendoza system represent a huge asset to our province, which makes greats efforts in order to continue with the development of a public transportation system that is sustainable, accessible and of quality," said Natalio Mema, Secretary of Public Services in Mendoza. "We are eager to continue sharing experiences and perspectives with MTS in the future, and strengthening ties between our regions."
According to MTS, the government of Mendoza will take on all the costs associated with the donation including shipping, labor, and training by MTS technicians and operators.
