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...a city in the
South-West of the UK. Bristol Electric Railbus used this 6 ton
35-passenger tram
to operate
a service for two years covering over 10,000km and carrying some
50,000 fare-paying passengers. The service was withdrawn as part
of a long term project to introduce a full-scale Ultra Light Tram
service to Bristol.
Work is continuing with
local interest groups and the situation remains positive with the City Council,
including the ULR route in its Local Transport Plan.
Provision of Step-free access
enables all users to board and alight with freedom of movement increasing social
inclusion. This is of particular interest in many countries with
ageing population.
The predictable route of
the tram means that pedestrians and trams can safely co-exist.
Power for the tram was
supplied by SWEB and was from 100% renewable sources. |
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ULR
NOW OPERATING 7 DAYS A WEEK ON WEST MIDLANDS BRANCH LINE
Two PPM 60 railcars - „Class
139 in British railway terminology - have entered passenger service on the
Stourbridge Town branch: a breakthrough for lightweight rail.
By
late June both Class 139 vehicles had entered passenger service, and
thousands of passenger journeys had been made in them. On 22nd June the
first day of intensive service saw over 200 public service trips along the
branch line made by 139 001. Making one journey in each direction every
ten minutes, the railcar easily met its operational specification and gave
Stourbridge Town its best ever train service - made possible by the
sprightly performance and short turnaround times achievable with this type
of rolling stock.
The
service is operated by Pre Metro Operations a fully-fledged
subcontract train operator, running the Stourbridge Town service on behalf
of London Midland.
Govia
states that one of the key highlights of the franchise is the Parry People Movers lightweight railcars. These
railcars operate all
services on the short branch line between Stourbridge Junction and
Stourbridge Town. carbon dioxide emissions have been cut by 80% compared
to the conventional type of train that previously operated the branch.
The
Class
139 railcar impresses West Midlands PTE directors as well as
representatives of national transport executive group.
PPM Ltd was pleased to receive a top level visit from Centro, the
Executive of the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority. A
further visit from Centro officials and other interested individuals from
Edinburgh and South Yorkshire PTE took place later the same week.
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The 100-seater
custom-built British vehicle links the end of the UK's second
longest Pier with Southport town-centre, passing the Ocean Plaza complex
en route. It has been funded with 250,000 GBP from
Mersey Waterfront, alongside 45,000 GBP from Sefton Council and a further
30,000 GBP from The Pier Trust. Louise Hopkins, Director
of Mersey Waterfront, said:- "Southport Pier tram has generate more than £140,000 for the local economy in the
last12
months alone, and helps' secure the Pier's future.
The tram was
built by UK
Loco and operates 9000Km per year with over 99% reliability.
This
highly energy efficient light tram (below) built by Trampower is seen on
the Birkenhead tramway  These
trams are 90% energy efficient with regenerative braking to standstill
and can be supplied both for systems with overhead
supply or with on-board power supply. With an energy
consumption of just 1Kw per Km for a 200 passenger tram they are the
most efficient trams in their class. The
innovative bogie design with independent traction control to each wheel
on the bogie means no wheel slip or rail sequel. 
Each
wheel can be removed independently and maintenance dose not require an
inspection pit. |
