E-class trams

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Roderick Smith
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E-class trams

Post by Roderick Smith »

E-class trams plagued with safety flaws, report suggests.
March 28, 2016 - Meloburne 'Age'.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/eclas ... nsn6p.html

Melbourne’s $300 million ‘supertrams’ need safety overhaul, report finds [headline toned down at 8.45 from '$300m super-dud supertrams fallout].
29.3.16 'Herald Sun'
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victor ... 7ca12a4e6c
The list: 160329Tu Melbourne 'Herald Sun': E tram safety.

Roderick
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system improver
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Re: E-class trams

Post by system improver »

The first two were obvious on my first trip on the E Class, just after former Minister Mulder had launched the trams, and claimed credit for them on 4th November 2013.

“These are the first two of 50 state-of-the-art trams taking passengers and hitting the tracks today,” Mr Mulder said. “Melburnians, who have seen the tram during its rigorous testing regime over the past few months, will be even more excited as they as they board one of the first two new trams taking passengers today."

I guess they are now back to being "Labor's trams" despite him promising to order another 75 of them just before the last election.

The continuing bit of foolishness about these trams (and the C and D Class) is the insistence that they be 100% low floor. Had we accepted about twenty years ago that a 70% low floor is quite sufficient for trams to be DDA compliant (like buses here and trams in other street running countries), then we could have had up to 50% more trams for about the same spend and the ride quality on street track would have been infinitely superior (and quieter) than the current low floor stock (which goes well on reserved track).
Frosty
Posts: 1828
Joined: Sat Jun 27, 2015 7:16 pm

Re: E-class trams

Post by Frosty »

THis really has been stupid can't they get their act together with the E-Class problem after problem. The Urbos 3 trams in Sydney work fine no problems well at least they're not publicised.
burrumbus
Posts: 2049
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2011 10:12 pm

Re: E-class trams

Post by burrumbus »

system improver wrote:The first two were obvious on my first trip on the E Class, just after former Minister Mulder had launched the trams, and claimed credit for them on 4th November 2013.

“These are the first two of 50 state-of-the-art trams taking passengers and hitting the tracks today,” Mr Mulder said. “Melburnians, who have seen the tram during its rigorous testing regime over the past few months, will be even more excited as they as they board one of the first two new trams taking passengers today."

I guess they are now back to being "Labor's trams" despite him promising to order another 75 of them just before the last election.

The continuing bit of foolishness about these trams (and the C and D Class) is the insistence that they be 100% low floor. Had we accepted about twenty years ago that a 70% low floor is quite sufficient for trams to be DDA compliant (like buses here and trams in other street running countries), then we could have had up to 50% more trams for about the same spend and the ride quality on street track would have been infinitely superior (and quieter) than the current low floor stock (which goes well on reserved track).
Politicians decisions yet again,system improver-the bane of good public transport management.
Roderick Smith
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 8:44 pm

Revised E trams

Post by Roderick Smith »

March 20 2017 Safer, sleeker trams ready to roll.
Trams on three of Melbourne's busiest routes are being revamped to improve passenger safety.
The E-Class tram, the city's newest and largest tram type, has been redesigned following an explosion in use since the free tram zone was introduced in 2015 and a recent sharp rise in serious injuries on trams.
Melbourne trams to run on solar power.
Energy, Environment and Climate Change Minister Lily D'Ambrosio says Melbourne's more than 400 trams will be powered by Victoria's first large-scale solar plant, set to be built by the end of 2018.
The new version, dubbed the E2-class, has also been given a sleek new look. It is expected to be unveiled at Bombardier's Dandenong factory on Tuesday.
The new E-2-class tram is set to be unveiled. Photo: Good Design Week.
It will include extra handholds and grab rails, reducing the risk of passenger falls, and much wider and less glary driver-side windows to give the driver a better view of road traffic.
Internal cameras will be fitted to the trams so drivers can more easily see passengers moving between the tram and platforms.
The changes follow a fivefold increase in the number of injuries among passengers getting on and off trams, a 50 per cent rise in falls on trams and a doubling in serious injuries in two years.
The rise in injuries has followed a shift towards mostly standing-room tram interiors, with fewer seats available on all but the oldest trams.
An E-Class tram on Flinders Street.
Bombardier has already made 50 E-Class trams, the last of which is scheduled to enter service in May. These will be retrofitted with many of the new safety features, the company said.
Bombardier's managing director, Andrew Dudgeon, said the design changes followed discussions with passengers, and were developed with virtual reality technology at Swinburne University.
"From design all the way through to the build, our team in Dandenong manages the entire process and could not be more proud of these vehicles," Mr Dudgeon said. "We look forward to working with the Victorian government and Public Transport Victoria to continue delivering more of the best trams for Melbourne."
The new-look tram is among the nominees for the 2017 Australian Good Design Awards.
According to its awards entry: "The design has enhanced the overall vehicle quality by utilising the latest in virtual reality technology from Swinburne University to optimise driver sight-lines and enhance driver and passenger safety."
Public Transport Users Association president Tony Morton said E-Class trams were not perfect but had been "a pretty good addition" to Melbourne's tram fleet.
"They do tend to reflect the way that we've been designing and fitting out our trams in recent years to have fewer seats and more standing room, on the basis that that is the cheapest way to accommodate more people on the system," he said.
Dr Morton said it was no surprise an increase in slips and falls had followed the reduction of seating.
Annual tram patronage soared above 200 million trips in 2015-16.
E-Class trams run on routes 96, 11 and 86, three of the most heavily used in Melbourne.
The 20 E2-Class trams are expected to cost $274 million.
Related Content
There has been an increase in the number of serious injuries on Melbourne's trams.
Serious injuries on trams hits eight-year high .
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/safer ... v2aup.html
Roderick Smith
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 8:44 pm

Re: Revised E trams

Post by Roderick Smith »

170322W-Melbourne'HeraldSun'-E2trams.
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Roderick Smith
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 8:44 pm

E-class trams

Post by Roderick Smith »

The Advanced search failed to find anything 6051.

Roderick

June 13 2017 Revamped E-Class trams on track to curb passenger injuries .
The first of 30 new E-Class trams designed to tackle the rise in passenger injuries from on-board jolts and falls has rolled out.
The trams include dozens more hanging straps and hand rails for passengers, and a flatter nose to give the driver a better peripheral view of traffic.
More videos Melbourne's new tram route misleads disabled passengers.
The Andrews government said in March that the new route 58 would provide reliable tram services for people in wheelchairs or scooters, and parents with prams. We put that claim to the test.
The tram floor has also been lowered at the doors in response to complaints from passengers in wheelchairs of a vertical gap at many platform stops, which makes the original E-Class trams difficult to board. The trams are made by Bombardier in Dandenong.
The second of the redesigned trams will enter service later this week.
In the past two years, the average number of serious injuries per quarter on Melbourne's tram network has risen from seven to 13, Transport Safety Victoria data shows, while the average number of slips, trips and falls per quarter has risen from 44 to 60.
Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said the design tweaks had been made after a review into the problem of passenger injuries.
"Based on feedback from passengers, this was an issue that was identified and a review has been undertaken by Yarra Trams and Public Transport Victoria, and part of that review and feedback from passengers goes into the addition of some safety features," Ms Allan said.
One of the original 50 E-Class trams. Photo: Adam Chandler .
Ms Allan said some injuries were caused by motorists who failed to look out for trams and forced the tram driver to slam the brakes hard to avoid a crash.
"Motorists don't always look out for trams, which can cause that sudden braking," she said. "It really is a challenge for passengers. It's a challenge for our tram drivers as well and that's why we encourage everyone to be really vigilant."
The new E-Class tram.
Work is also being done to give trams better priority on the road so they spend less time stuck in traffic.
A recent trial of peak-hour tram priority lanes on Smith Street produced good results, and Transport for Victoria was looking at making improvements to tram travel times elsewhere, Ms Allan said.
The new trams can carry 210 passengers each. It is expected that 80 E-Class trams will be in service by mid-2019, including the 50 ordered by the former Brumby government that are currently in service.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the order of trams had secured hundreds of manufacturing jobs in Victoria.
Related Content:
Serious injuries on trams hits eight-year high .
An E-Class tram on Flinders Street.
Safer, sleeker trams ready to roll in wake of sharp rise in injuries .
A tram is stuck in traffic between Alexandra Parade and Queens Pde on Smith St.
The road rule Melburnians habitually ignore .
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/new-s ... wpzf6.html


with
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