TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Sun Link celebrated the return of Streetcar 105 Tuesday, more than a year after it crashed with another streetcar near Fourth Avenue and Eighth Street.
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Sun Link leaders say investigators determined the crash was caused by human error—an operator failed to properly recognize and respond to a signal at a switch.
"It wasn't a condition of the track. It wasn't a problem with the equipment. It wasn't weather. It was human error," said Mikel Oglesby, general manager of Sun Tran, Sun Van and Sun Link.
Since the crash, Oglesby said Sun Link has added safeguards, including extra supervision at switch points and more communication between operators and central control.
Before 105 could return to the tracks, crews spent months repairing, inspecting and testing the streetcar.
"Just getting the vehicle to where it's at now, the testing that we did, the retesting that we did--taking it out on the alignment, bringing it back, taking it apart. We did inspections on top of inspection to get it back where it is now," said Ruben Montenegro, assistant general manager of Sun Link.
The return of Streetcar 105 also means a better experience for riders. The crash left Sun Link operating with fewer streetcars on the route. With 105 back, the system can run six streetcars again, reducing wait times between cars.
"The headways will be 10 to 12 minutes. Every 10 to 12 minutes, a vehicle will show up," Oglesby said.
Streetcar 103, which sustained more damage in the crash, is still being repaired. Sun Link says there is no timeline for when it will return to service.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
