Riding in one of San Francisco’s newest light-rail vehicles while on vacation there, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity.

San Francisco’s Muni LRVs are made by Siemens and, despite differences in door and seating configuration, are in fact the same high-floor model as the newest light-rail cars purchased by Calgary Transit. The similarities are definitely there, from the whine of the motors to the station announcement chime … and even the malfunctioning passenger information system. (Calgary Transit’s CTrain displays work but sometimes show the wrong time or station information; Muni’s displays were simply off when I rode their light-rail trains.)

The photo above shows a Muni light-rail Metro train operating on the N line, departing from Ocean Beach.