Streetcars
- Posted by ryan on January 23rd, 2009 filed in In the News, Transit
A charitable person might note that one reason the District has dragged its feet on the construction of a planned streetcar network is that, by law, overhead wires cannot be strung through the L’Enfant city — the historical core of Washington. This rule could be changed, but it would require the approval of Congress, which is always a pain in the ass to get. Up until now, there have been technologies that provide power through lines in the street, but those technologies have tended to fail in cities that have to regularly salt their streets. Granted, this year has been snowless for Washington, but we get wintry stuff often enough (for now!) that the system couldn’t be used.
But lo! A Canadian company has developed a reliable in-street technology! As Richard Layman notes, there may be some licensing issues for cities that have already done some contracting with other suppliers, but this basically means that the District can go ahead and run streetcars wherever it wants, without having to risk a Tom Coburn hold.
An uncharitable person might note that for much of the city outside the historical core, the overhead catenary restriction has never applied, and yet the District hasn’t exactly been pushing streetcar lines ahead with all due haste. But still, any obstacle that can be gotten out of the way is a step in the right direction.
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:49 am
Am I the only one who finds the overhead wires kind of picturesque?
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:51 am
This is indeed a step in the right direction, and the technology looks promising.
I do, however, have some concerns.
Bombardier makes great stuff. However, the big problem (they ran into this with Vancouver’s SkyTrain expansion that’s u/c now) is proprietary technology. Their ART stuff uses linear induction motors, and they’re the only ones that make it. This would be using induction for power supply, so maybe that changes things, but it’s something to consider.
Another concern is cost. This does look to be a more technically robust system than Alstom’s in-ground third rail, but that doesn’t mean it will be cheap.
There’s also the early adopter problem. The first city to install this system, like Alstom’s trams in France, will likely face some technical problems.
Finally, there’s performance. I looked at their tech spec on Bombardier’s website, and they list the max speed at 40 km/h, or 25 mph. That’s fine for in-city streetcar operation, but I think it’s important to realize that should DC use these within the L’Enfant City, they’d still be smart to use catenaries on the outer reaches or in dedicated ROWs for more LRT-like operation at higher speeds, not to mention lower construction costs.
Nevertheless, this is a great development. It also helps that Bombardier has extensive North American experience - those buy American requirements can be pesky.
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Charitable people should not blog.
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:00 pm
>This does look to be a more technically robust system than Alstom’s in-ground third rail, but that doesn’t mean it will be cheap.
Alstom’s system has two big cost problems. It’s more expensive to install, yes, but it’s also like 10 times more expensive to maintain.
Even if the Bombardier system is still as expensive to install, if they’ve solved the expensive maintenance problem then that’s a HUGE step forward.
OTOH, if they haven’t then this is all much ado about nothing.
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I agree with Alex B. Part of the problem will be the proprietary nature of the discovery. If bombardier doesn’t open source the technology for vehicles or at least license it, then it will be like Alstom’s APS, stuck to one manufacturer which likely causes less competition and higher prices for vehicles etc.