Edinburgh Tram (vehicle)
Encyclopedia
The Edinburgh Tram is a bespoke fleet of 27 tram
s built by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, better known as CAF
of Beasain
, in the Basque country
of Spain
between 2009 and 2011 for use on the future Edinburgh Tram line in Edinburgh
, Scotland
.
in November 2007 and is worth up to £40 million. The trams are built to meet the highly bespoke specifications issued by Transport Initiatives Edinburgh
(tie), which precluded the use of an existing design.
CAF was selected by competitive tender from a list of four rail vehicle manufacturers, the others being Alstom
, Bombardier
, and Siemens. CAF has supplied light rail vehicles for a number of other European tram networks, including EuskoTran
in Bilbao
and MetroCentro
in Seville
, Spain, and for the Antray system in Antalya
, Turkey. The company also supplied new NIR Class 3000 trains for Northern Ireland Railways
and (with Siemens) built rolling stock for the Heathrow Express
service in London.
The Edinburgh trams will be bi-directional, 42.8 metres (140.4 ft) long
and built with 100% low-floor access
to meet UK Rail Vehicle Access Regulations
for disabled people. Passenger capacity will be 250, with 78 seated and 170 standing and the trams will be fitted with CCTV
.
A number of special requirements have been specified for the tram vehicles: they will have to cope with the steep slopes of Edinburgh streets, operate with low noise and offer a visual fit suitable for a World Heritage Site
. The particular requirements were specified by tie with the aim of designing an advanced tram system tailored for the needs of Edinburgh. To achieve the low noise requirement a self lubricating system is used to avoid the squeal of wheels on track when turning tight corners.
A full size mockup of the front of the proposed tram was constructed and put on display on Princes Street for the public to view. The replica tram was moved to Constitution Street at the foot of Leith Walk in April 2009. There is also a tram front mock up at the Gyle Shopping center next to the bus stop.
The first finished tram was delivered on 26 April 2010 and went on public display on 28 April 2010 at the location of the previous mockup in Princes Street, before being moved to open storage in Broxburn
in November 2010. The tram arrived far in advance of the completion of infrastructure (including its home depot), which has suffered serious delays and cost over-runs. , the tram line is still under construction, with only the section of the proposed line from Edinburgh Airport
to St. Andrew Square escaping cancellation, and the remaining 26 trams are still in storage in Spain.
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s built by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, better known as CAF
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is a rail equipment manufacturer based in Beasain in the Basque Country, Spain. Equipment manufactured by CAF includes light rail vehicles, rapid transit trains, railroad cars and locomotives, as well as variable gauge axles that can be fitted on any...
of Beasain
Beasáin
Beasain is a town and municipality located in the Goierri region of the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, northern Spain. It has an important industry of railroad vehicles and related equipment that exports its production to all the world.-External links:* *...
, in the Basque country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
between 2009 and 2011 for use on the future Edinburgh Tram line in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
History
The contract to build a fleet of 27 trams for the Phase 1a and (now cancelled) Phase 1b tram lines was awarded to the Spanish rail equipment manufacturer CAFConstrucciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is a rail equipment manufacturer based in Beasain in the Basque Country, Spain. Equipment manufactured by CAF includes light rail vehicles, rapid transit trains, railroad cars and locomotives, as well as variable gauge axles that can be fitted on any...
in November 2007 and is worth up to £40 million. The trams are built to meet the highly bespoke specifications issued by Transport Initiatives Edinburgh
Transport Initiatives Edinburgh
tie Ltd. is a Scottish company which, from May 2002 to August 2011, project-managed large-scale transport projects on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom....
(tie), which precluded the use of an existing design.
CAF was selected by competitive tender from a list of four rail vehicle manufacturers, the others being Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
, Bombardier
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
, and Siemens. CAF has supplied light rail vehicles for a number of other European tram networks, including EuskoTran
EuskoTran
EuskoTran is a light rail tram service which operates in the cities of Bilbao , Vitoria and, in the future, in the town of Leioa , all of them in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the three commercial brands of the public society owned by the Basque Government, Eusko Trenbideak -...
in Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
and MetroCentro
MetroCentro (Seville)
MetroCentro is a surface tramway serving the centre of the city Seville, in Andalusia, Spain. It began operating in October 2007.At the present time, the service consists of just five stops, Plaza Nueva, Archivo de Indias, Puerta de Jerez, Prado de San Sebastián and San Bernardo, as part of Phase I...
in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, Spain, and for the Antray system in Antalya
Antalya
Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...
, Turkey. The company also supplied new NIR Class 3000 trains for Northern Ireland Railways
Northern Ireland Railways
NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways and for a brief period of time, Ulster Transport Railways , is the railway operator in Northern Ireland...
and (with Siemens) built rolling stock for the Heathrow Express
British Rail Class 332
The British Rail Class 332 is the type of electric multiple unit train used on the Heathrow Express between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport.-Description:The fleet was built in 1997-1998 by Siemens and CAF at the latter’s factory in Zaragoza, Spain...
service in London.
The Edinburgh trams will be bi-directional, 42.8 metres (140.4 ft) long
and built with 100% low-floor access
Accessibility
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity...
to meet UK Rail Vehicle Access Regulations
Disability Discrimination Act 2005
The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Section 20 - Short title, interpretation, commencement and extent:The following orders have been made under section 20:*...
for disabled people. Passenger capacity will be 250, with 78 seated and 170 standing and the trams will be fitted with CCTV
Closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
.
A number of special requirements have been specified for the tram vehicles: they will have to cope with the steep slopes of Edinburgh streets, operate with low noise and offer a visual fit suitable for a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. The particular requirements were specified by tie with the aim of designing an advanced tram system tailored for the needs of Edinburgh. To achieve the low noise requirement a self lubricating system is used to avoid the squeal of wheels on track when turning tight corners.
A full size mockup of the front of the proposed tram was constructed and put on display on Princes Street for the public to view. The replica tram was moved to Constitution Street at the foot of Leith Walk in April 2009. There is also a tram front mock up at the Gyle Shopping center next to the bus stop.
The first finished tram was delivered on 26 April 2010 and went on public display on 28 April 2010 at the location of the previous mockup in Princes Street, before being moved to open storage in Broxburn
Broxburn
Broxburn is the name of more than one place in the United Kingdom:*Broxburn, East Lothian, Scotland*Broxburn, West Lothian, ScotlandIt is also the name of a place in Australia:*Broxburn, Queensland, Australia...
in November 2010. The tram arrived far in advance of the completion of infrastructure (including its home depot), which has suffered serious delays and cost over-runs. , the tram line is still under construction, with only the section of the proposed line from Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2010, handling just under 8.6 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements...
to St. Andrew Square escaping cancellation, and the remaining 26 trams are still in storage in Spain.