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Doha Trams - Built by Siemens
Above: The three-section Avenio Doha Education City People Mover tram, this is tram No. 2 which is seen at the Siemens Wildenrath Test and Vehicle Validation Centre on 21 April 2015.
Siemens Mobility unveiled to the railway press the first hybrid tram at its Wildenrath train validation centre in Germany on 21 April 2015.
The days of having ugly overhead power lines or catenary for urban tram networks could be a thing of the past, thanks to the latest Siemens technology.
All over the world, the tram is once again attracting attention of urban planners and transportation operators as a powerful, ecological and highly economical method of transport. Existing lines are being expanded and new tramlines planned, more often than not through major city centres.
Low-floor concepts with path side-level boarding, step-free car floors and high levels of comfort are in demand.
The latest addition to the world tram map is Doha, the capital of Qatar, were soon 19 Siemens three-section Avenio trams will start operation without overhead power lines on a 11.5km, 24 station route through Education City. The trams will be equipped with an energy storage system, which can re-use up to 30% of the supplied power by recovering braking energy.
In 2012 the Siemens Tram Consortium won an order for a turnkey project for the light rail system for Education City, Doha, Qatar's capital. The Siemens contract was for the rolling stock, signalling and communication systems, electrification and the provision of a depot. This was the first rail system to be built in Doha.
Siemens are supplying a variant of their Avenio product, a steel bodied design, produced to the latest technology, with much reduced weight and production costs than previous designs, which includes the latest stability elements to reduce track forces while working through curves and thus increasing passenger comfort.
The low-floor technology and ergonomic design provides a high-level of comfort for passengers. In addition, the new energy storage system for optimised energy consumption and catenary-free operation make the Avenio a role model for sustainable, rail-based mass transit.
In April 2015 the first Avenio for Doha was being tested on the Siemens Wildenrath Test and Validation Centre in Germany and on 20 April was demonstrated to the customer for the first time. The vehicles are being assembled at the Siemens tram production facility in Vienna, Austria.
The novel feature of these trams in the ability to operate without the presence of an overhead power line, the double-ended trams have a pantograph at each end which comes into contact with a solid power bar at station stops, this recharges the trams hybrid energy storage system, consisting of a Sitras MES double-layer capacitor and a lithium ion battery. The system combines a capacitor and traction battery and presently allows for a maximum distance of 2,500 metres to be travelled without an overhead contact wire. In addition to receiving power from the catenary at station stops, power is topped-up during re-generative braking. For the Doha system the train will only receive a power top up from station stops, but Siemens say that larger station top-up and charging facilities could be provided on a like system to suit customer requirements.
In addition to saving on the environment impact of overhead power structures, the project will see a considerable saving on the costs of providing entire-route electrification and would be especially desirable in areas of outstanding natural beauty where the presence of overhead systems would be rejected by planners.
At present the Doha Education City People Mover Project will operate for just 12 km and principally serve the North and South University campus with four designated stations and 20 stops, all fitted with above roof power bars. Siemens have been faced with a number of challenges during the design and build for this project, with frequently temperatures exceeding 50 deg C, high humidity, high dust levels, and at some time in the year heavy rain. To prove the product, the second tram off the production line was sent to the climatic test facility in Vienna, where it was put through extremes in cold and heat.
The first tram is scheduled for delivery to Doha in June 2015, with the entire fleet of 19 delivered by February 2016.
The Avenio-DEC trams are three-vehicle sets with a Bo-2-Bo wheel configuration, they measure 27.70m in length, are 2.55m in width, and have 56 seats with room for around three times that number standing, the seats are a mix of 2+2 and 2+1. These are some of the first trams to be fitted with high speed Wi-Fi.
Assuming both the capacitor and battery are fully charged, the tram would accelerate from a station using energy from the capacitor with a slight input from the battery. During cruising or coasting the capacitor output would be reduced with the battery taking over, during braking both the capacitor and battery would receive a charge which would be topped up to the full level during the next station dwell time which is scheduled for around 20 seconds.
During a demonstration of the system at Wildenrath, the tram accelerated as if it was a normally powered vehicle, the acceleration was positive and rapid, the ride very smooth and the full recharge was provided from two train length solid bar recharging bars representing stations.
Future development of this hybrid technology would well see a major change to future tram and light rail technology, as battery life is sure to be extended in future years, this could well be the way forward in many cities, reducing the overall construction costs, removing the unsightly overhead power lines and allowing trams into many restricted areas throughout the world. As technology develops it would be possible for the capacitor/battery technology to be used on longer distance tram-train or even main line systems.
The days of having ugly overhead power lines or catenary for urban tram networks could be a thing of the past, thanks to the latest Siemens technology.
All over the world, the tram is once again attracting attention of urban planners and transportation operators as a powerful, ecological and highly economical method of transport. Existing lines are being expanded and new tramlines planned, more often than not through major city centres.
Low-floor concepts with path side-level boarding, step-free car floors and high levels of comfort are in demand.
The latest addition to the world tram map is Doha, the capital of Qatar, were soon 19 Siemens three-section Avenio trams will start operation without overhead power lines on a 11.5km, 24 station route through Education City. The trams will be equipped with an energy storage system, which can re-use up to 30% of the supplied power by recovering braking energy.
In 2012 the Siemens Tram Consortium won an order for a turnkey project for the light rail system for Education City, Doha, Qatar's capital. The Siemens contract was for the rolling stock, signalling and communication systems, electrification and the provision of a depot. This was the first rail system to be built in Doha.
Siemens are supplying a variant of their Avenio product, a steel bodied design, produced to the latest technology, with much reduced weight and production costs than previous designs, which includes the latest stability elements to reduce track forces while working through curves and thus increasing passenger comfort.
The low-floor technology and ergonomic design provides a high-level of comfort for passengers. In addition, the new energy storage system for optimised energy consumption and catenary-free operation make the Avenio a role model for sustainable, rail-based mass transit.
In April 2015 the first Avenio for Doha was being tested on the Siemens Wildenrath Test and Validation Centre in Germany and on 20 April was demonstrated to the customer for the first time. The vehicles are being assembled at the Siemens tram production facility in Vienna, Austria.
The novel feature of these trams in the ability to operate without the presence of an overhead power line, the double-ended trams have a pantograph at each end which comes into contact with a solid power bar at station stops, this recharges the trams hybrid energy storage system, consisting of a Sitras MES double-layer capacitor and a lithium ion battery. The system combines a capacitor and traction battery and presently allows for a maximum distance of 2,500 metres to be travelled without an overhead contact wire. In addition to receiving power from the catenary at station stops, power is topped-up during re-generative braking. For the Doha system the train will only receive a power top up from station stops, but Siemens say that larger station top-up and charging facilities could be provided on a like system to suit customer requirements.
In addition to saving on the environment impact of overhead power structures, the project will see a considerable saving on the costs of providing entire-route electrification and would be especially desirable in areas of outstanding natural beauty where the presence of overhead systems would be rejected by planners.
At present the Doha Education City People Mover Project will operate for just 12 km and principally serve the North and South University campus with four designated stations and 20 stops, all fitted with above roof power bars. Siemens have been faced with a number of challenges during the design and build for this project, with frequently temperatures exceeding 50 deg C, high humidity, high dust levels, and at some time in the year heavy rain. To prove the product, the second tram off the production line was sent to the climatic test facility in Vienna, where it was put through extremes in cold and heat.
The first tram is scheduled for delivery to Doha in June 2015, with the entire fleet of 19 delivered by February 2016.
The Avenio-DEC trams are three-vehicle sets with a Bo-2-Bo wheel configuration, they measure 27.70m in length, are 2.55m in width, and have 56 seats with room for around three times that number standing, the seats are a mix of 2+2 and 2+1. These are some of the first trams to be fitted with high speed Wi-Fi.
Assuming both the capacitor and battery are fully charged, the tram would accelerate from a station using energy from the capacitor with a slight input from the battery. During cruising or coasting the capacitor output would be reduced with the battery taking over, during braking both the capacitor and battery would receive a charge which would be topped up to the full level during the next station dwell time which is scheduled for around 20 seconds.
During a demonstration of the system at Wildenrath, the tram accelerated as if it was a normally powered vehicle, the acceleration was positive and rapid, the ride very smooth and the full recharge was provided from two train length solid bar recharging bars representing stations.
Future development of this hybrid technology would well see a major change to future tram and light rail technology, as battery life is sure to be extended in future years, this could well be the way forward in many cities, reducing the overall construction costs, removing the unsightly overhead power lines and allowing trams into many restricted areas throughout the world. As technology develops it would be possible for the capacitor/battery technology to be used on longer distance tram-train or even main line systems.
Avenio driving cab.
Interior of Avenio Doha Education City People Mover tram, showing the mix of 2+1 and 2+2 seating, where the single seats are provided these are of much larger proportions.
A sample section of solid overhead power collection bar, this would usually be provided at stations and covered in and would not be seen, this is one of two functional demonstration sections built on test track T2 at the Siemens Wildenrath Test and Vehicle Validation Centre