Comments on: Bombardier Presents New Catenary-Free Streetcar

By: Scions

Scions — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:51:06 +0000

I hope all new rail lines use this, especially the one they are making in Medellín, Colombia. It would be such a pity if they just installed the catenary and just a few weeks after its installment, the PRIMOVE system hits the markets. They have already began construction... ... and by the looks of it is uses catenaries.

By: Roy

Roy — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:13:48 +0000

Will someone within Bombardier please convince Derby City Council England of the merits of PRIMOVE powered trams before it is too late !

By: Anne Gray Haynes

Anne Gray Haynes — Sun, 03 May 2009 17:26:11 +0000

Saw the new street car in Phoenix, AZ. Terrific and funded all with local money so far. Do you kn0w what the cost for the exisiting sytem was?

By: Myrtone

Myrtone — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:32:03 +0000

I wonder if PRIMOVE could also be implemented without the MITRAC energy saver, or at least the energy saver could only recover energy during braking if there is no other tram to absorb it, and from there it could power accessories, or in that case it could also absorb recovered energy while stationary.
I also wonder why Innorail, part of Spie Enertrans didn’t come up with the same idea when they developed ground level power supply, but rather settled on the conductive method.

By: timberpalace

timberpalace — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 03:41:17 +0000

I kind of find cantenaries charming too.

In Oregon we just started a streetcar company to make the local Portland streetcars. Everyone was pretty stoked about it because with streetcars gaining in popularity, federal rules with a preference for American manufacturers and a lack of any real streetcar competition, we thought all that money would be rolling into the beaver state.

Those bastards at Bombardier and their better product!

By: Tahoe Valley Lines

Tahoe Valley Lines — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:21:24 +0000

This is a good improvement, hopefully we can use freight haul on same track.

USA is at leading edge of energy crisis of size and scope never witnessed. IEA Nov. ’08 report offers clue; depletion rate of existing fields is much larger than heretofore experienced. This is compounded by shelving & cancellation of many projects to expand production. Result will be shortage & inability to grow supply.

USA MUST rehab dormant rail corridor, expand & extend existing mains. USA rail network of pre-WWII era is a model for planners. We had Mains, Branchlines, and Interurban Electric System. This must come back to actuality, providing local rail connect for victuals as well as passenger movement.

See Association For The Study Of Peak Oil & Gas (peakoil.net) articles 374 & 1037, and also book by Christopher C. Swan, “ELECTRIC WATER” (New Society Press, 2007).

Railway rehab should have top billing on
]economic reconstruction agenda; certainly rehab of dormanrt rail branclines are labor-intensive and shovel-ready! In fact, these branclines are critical to pick up load as trucking falters in energy crisis.

By: Zealoot

Zealoot — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 03:29:59 +0000

I actually like the catenary, it is part of the charm, I think it is a shame that Europe lost its public transport charm identity to modern and ugly buses and trams…

By: Norman Brown

Norman Brown — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 03:14:14 +0000

Fortunately for the US most of our streetscape is already despoiled by overhead power wires that were buried in most of Europe long ago saving both the landscape and lots of maintenance on the circuitry. We could use catenary without any worse lines of sight.