The Tide light-rail cars arrived in Norfolk, according to The Virginian-Pilot.

The first vehicle to arrive is expected to be No. 407, the number of the last streetcar that ran in Norfolk in 1948. The service is set to launch next October, and will help improve transporation in Norfolk.

"They're modern, sleek, and unlike any transit vehicle the area has seen.

Locals were introduced to The Tide light-rail cars today when the first two arrived in Norfolk. The cars traveled cross country by freight train from Siemens Transportation Systems Inc. in Sacramento, Calif.

Flooding in Atlanta and the derailment of another train in North Carolina delayed their delivery, but city and transit leaders vow the trains will run on time once they start operating here a year from now.

Another seven vehicles will arrive, mostly two at a time, over the next several months. Their cost, including spare parts, is $36 million.

With a service launch set for October next year, the vehicles will be stored until the route is electrified and testing of the cars and tracks can begin. Construction of Norfolk's $288 million starter light-rail line, from the medical complex west of downtown to the city line at Newtown Road, just hit the 50 percent completion mark."

Read the full story, including a video and pictures of the new light-rail cars.