SPAIN: The BcnRail trade fair held in Barcelona between November 30 and December 3 focused attention on the city’s automatic metro lines 9 and 10, including one of the Alstom Series 9000 Metropolis cars. CAF also used the event to unveil its tram for Edinburgh.
Organised by Fira de Barcelona, BcnRail attracted 200 exhibitors from 15 countries and more than 8 000 trade visitors.
Barcelona’s 52-station 47·8 km driverless Line 9 and Line 10 project is being built by infrastructure manager Ifercat and project manager Gisa, and will be operated by TMB. The first section of Line 9 between Can Zam and Can Peixauet is expected to open in mid-December, to be followed in early 2010 by the initial Line 10 branch from Gorg to Sagrera.
Alstom displayed a Series 9000 vehicle fitted with a front-end evacuation door which opens in 10 sec allowing passengers to exit the train via a ramp 3·5 m long and 1 246 mm wide. Alstom is supplying 250 of the locally manufactured cars to operate as five-car trainsets on lines 2, 4 and 9.
CAF exhibited a five-module version of the tram which will be delivered to Edinburgh in April 2010. The bi-directional seven-module vehicle has three motor bogies and an intermediate trailer bogie, is 100% low-floor and can accommodate 333 passengers.
CAF also presented its ACR energy storage system which will be fitted to the next generation Urbos 3 tram to allow catenary-free operation in Sevilla and Zaragoza.
BcnRail 2009 hosted the 23rd General Assembly of Alamys, the association of Latin American metros, attended by over 300 delegates. The official programme included technical presentations on Line 9, Latin American metro projects and high speed rail as well as visits to Barcelona’s suburban, metro and tram operations.
