The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) has received a Transit and Intercity Capital Rail Program (TIRCP) grant to help advance its bus fleet electrification programme and maintain a state-of-good-repair on the San Diego Trolley Orange Line.
This grant is valued at just over 60 million USD and is the largest competitive state grant allocated to MTS in its history.
Stephen Whitburn, Acting MTS Board Chair and San Diego City Councilmember, District 3 said:The substantial investment by the state into the MTS system is encouraging as we look to continue growing ridership and advance our region’s priorities, including transitioning to a zero-emissions bus fleet. Building and maintaining MTS infrastructure is vital to our mission of providing safe and reliable service for riders in the years ahead.
The MTS projects that will be funded by the TIRCP grant include:
- 12.1 million USD for the electrification of MTS Kearny Mesa Division, including the construction of a new overhead charging system for 30 zero-emission buses
- 48.3 million USD for 18-miles of Orange Line track improvements such as grade crossing safety and signal interfaces
In the long term, MTS plans to fully transition to a zero-emission fleet by 2040. It is therefore constructing an overhead electric bus charging system in South Bay and has ordered a number of electric buses from NFI.
Most recently, the agency’s Board of Directors has also voted in favour of introducing a fully-electric Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service in the South Bay.
