SEATTLE — Seattle’s mayor, Sound Transit and Seattle Department of Transportation officials hopped on board the new First Hill streetcar and invited the media along as well.
The streetcar is starting the testing phase.
As soon as a brake test was done, officials were quick to point out testing often comes with hiccups.
"This is exactly the kind of thing that happens and will happen over the next couple months. We work the kinks out of the car,” said SDOT director Scott Kubly onboard.
We were back on track after a brake problem involving a miscommunication in the system that required a reboot.
The First Hill streetcar will start running sometime this summer with fares running up to $2.25.
The first segment got here just last month from the Czech Republic.
It will go through all kinds of tests to ensure it works and is safe.
"We're going to end up running these cars about 500 miles before we start service," said Kubly.
The project costs $100 million, a chunk of which is coming from Sound Transit.
The Streetcar will make 10 stops connecting to the Link Light Rail being built on Capitol Hill as well as the International District and the King Street Station, according to a press release.
It will also transport passengers to CenturyLink and Safeco fields.
“It's going to make a connection between those neighborhoods and it's going to be a great connection between the light rail station," said Seattle Mayor Ed Murray.
KIRO 7 got to tour the maintenance facility as well.
"There's about 5,000 wire connections to make," said Ethan Malone with SDOT.
Workers from the Czech Republic and Pacifica are assembling three additional cars whose colors illustrate the diversity of each neighborhood, for instance, magenta for Capitol Hill.
The cars also are also equipped with a rechargeable battery system.
Next, the city will try to get federal money to connect First Hill to the South Lake Union streetcar.
KIRO
