On September 24, 2009, MTS approved the purchase of 57 new model Siemens S70 cars, at a total cost of $205 million. The cars began arriving in late September 2011 and are custom made model S70s. In 2012, the order was increased from 57 to 65 of these 'streetcar length' S70s. The new vehicles are shorter than the existing S70 vehicles on the system, making them the equivalent size of the older SD100 "Boxed Shaped" cars, allowing for three car operation in the downtown area. In order to run these trolleys on the older Orange and Blue Lines a platform and tracks renovation project was begun in 2010, starting with Blue Line stations south of Old Town, working its way southbound.