USA: The first tram for the Kansas City Streetcar project has started dynamic testing at CAF’s test track in Elmira, New York. It is due to be delivered to Kansas City on October 29.
Testing is then due to be carried out by the rail activation workgroup comprising the City of Kansas City, KC Streetcar Authority, the KC Streetcar Constructors joint venture of Herzog Contracting and Stacy & Witbeck, Herzog Transit, CAF and Interfleet, together with consultants HDR and LTK.
CAF is supplying four 100% low-floor bidirectional Urbos 3 trams to operate the 3·1 km line under a contract signed in October 2013. Delivery dates for the remaining three trams are still to be confirmed.
The three-section vehicles are 23·6 m long and 2 650 mm wide with capacity for 156 passengers including 32 seated. Two trucks each with four traction motors provide a maximum speed of 70 km/h. The stainless steel bodied vehicles have batteries mounted on the aluminium roof that provide emergency off-wire capability so that the vehicles can clear junctions if power is lost.
Four substations will supply power to the line at 750 V DC; the first was delivered in August and the second in September.
- A feature on the Kansas City Streetcar project appear in the March 2015 issue of Metro Report International.
