"November 12 is the last day for any fans to take a final ride on one of the light-rail trains that have been running through the streets and tunnels of San Francisco since 1996, as the last of them is finally getting retired. It's finally time to say arrivederci to the Italian-built light-rail trains that have defined Muni service for more than a generation, with their distinctive silver and red body paint, and vaguely European shape."
"Longtime San Franciscans may remember the debacle when the SFMTA learned that the assembled train cars exceeded their promised weight by about 10,000 pounds, which led to unanticipated vibration and maintenance issues. While the agency worked to lower the weight of the cars, their heftiness limited the length of trains and therefore the system's capacity, leading to delays early on. The Chronicle piece, clearly culled from SFMTA sources, notes that the Breda cars were far more reliable than their predecessors,"
November 12 marks retirement of the last Breda LRVs that have operated in San Francisco since 1996. The Italian-built light-rail vehicles featured silver-and-red livery and a European design and were assembled in pieces from Italy with final assembly at Pier 80. Early production exceeded promised weight by about 10,000 pounds, causing vibration and maintenance problems and limiting train length and system capacity. The Breda fleet was more reliable than prior Boeing cars but did not fully solve service issues. Siemens-built cars have gradually replaced the Bredas and SFMTA is undertaking a ten-year train-control system upgrade.
Read at sfist.com
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