The New Seattle Streetcar with Onboard Energy Storage

As part of the First Hill Streetcar (FHSC) Project, the Seattle Department of Transportation (DOT) began a procurement of six modern streetcars in early 2011. The FHSC alignment runs parallel with electric trolleybus (ETB) lines along part of its route, is crossed by several ETB lines, and is characterized by steep gradients. In order to avoid or mitigate interference with the existing ETB operations, Seattle DOT elected to pursue procurement of a modern streetcar capable of wireless operation along segments of the FHSC alignment through use of an onboard energy storage system (OESS) instead of conventional power pick-up via a pantograph from an overhead contact wire. This paper describes the development of the performance requirements for the OESS operation, the incorporation of these requirements into the overall technical specifications, and the procurement process that resulted in the award of the contract to the Inekon Group (IG), a firm based in the Czech Republic that has supplied streetcars recently to U.S. cities, including Seattle. Characteristics of the IG OESS streetcar are provided with a focus on those aspects that relate to wireless operation, along with a status of the design and the manufacturing plan.

• Record URL:
  http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/169925.aspx
• 
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00978515
• Authors:
  • Porter, Denny
  • Melone, Ethan
• Conference:
  • 12th National Light Rail Conference
  • Location: Salt Lake City Utah
  • Date: 2012-11-11 to 2012-11-13
• Publication Date: 2013-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: pp 190-200
• Monograph Title: Sustaining the Metropolis: Light Rail Transit and Streetcars for Super Cities
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Circular
  • Issue Number: E-C177
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0097-8515

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Case studies; Energy storage devices; Energy storage systems; Procurement; Specifications; Streetcars; Vehicle performance
• Geographic Terms: Seattle (Washington)
• Subject Areas: Energy; Public Transportation; Vehicles and Equipment; I15: Environment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01514767
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 20 2014 10:19AM