Volvo B7TL

Last updated
Volvo B7TL
First Wright Eclipse Gemini 01.jpg
Overview
Manufacturer Volvo
Production1999–2007
Body and chassis
Doors1 or 2
Floor typeLow floor
Powertrain
Engine Volvo D7C (7.3 L)
Power output215 hp (160 kW) / 250 hp (186 kW) / 290 hp (216 kW)
Transmission Voith DIWA/ZF Ecomat
Chronology
Predecessor Volvo Olympian
Successor Volvo B9TL (2-Axle)

The Volvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus chassis which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of the Volvo Olympian (its 3-axle version was replaced by the Volvo Super Olympian). It was built as the British bus operators seemed hesitant to purchase the B7L double decker with a long rear overhang (although some have since entered service in Glasgow, Scotland as 12 m long double deckers).

Contents

The B7TL chassis was designed by the Leyland Product Developments consultancy based at the Leyland Technical Centre. It was initially built in Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. In 2000, production was gradually transferred to Sweden. In mid-2004, production of the MkII version of the B7TL was started.

Like the Olympian, the B7TL features a transversely-mounted rear engine and a shorter rear overhang, but the radiator was mounted on the right side of the engine compartment. It was equipped with Volvo D7C engine and ZF or Voith gearbox. The B7TL was initially available with Alexander ALX400 and Plaxton President bodywork, later followed by East Lancs Vyking and Myllennium Vyking bodies, and also the Wright Eclipse Gemini.

Orders

United Kingdom

The Volvo B7TL was highly popular in the United Kingdom, with a large number being purchased by most of the major bus groups such as FirstGroup and Arriva. Travel West Midlands, Travel Coventry and Travel Dundee, part of the National Express Group, purchased over 320 B7TLs from 2000 to 2006, a majority of these being built with Alexander ALX400 bodies, while 112 with Wright Eclipse Gemini bodies and 102 with Plaxton President bodies were also delivered. [1] [2] Translink of Northern Ireland also purchased over 150 B7TLs with Alexander ALX400 bodies for its Ulsterbus and Citybus operations between 2001 and 2006, with the first batch of 20 B7TLs delivered in 2001 marking the return of double-decker buses to Belfast for the first time since 1989. [3] [4] [5]

The chassis was especially popular in London, with a total of 2,014 Volvo B7TLs being built for London's bus operators, most being bodied with Alexander ALX400, Plaxton President, East Lancs Vyking or Wright Eclipse Gemini bodywork. 790 B7TLs were built for Go-Ahead Group companies London General and London Central, while 378 for Arriva London, 308 for Metroline, 278 for First London and 148 for London United were also built. Transport for London noise regulations would put an end to B7TL orders in 2006, and the type was superseded in London by both the Volvo B9TL and the later Volvo B5LH. [6]

Smaller orders from operators outside London include Lothian Buses, who ordered a total of 132 B7TLs, the first seven being delivered with Plaxton President bodywork in 2000, followed by 125 more being delivered with Wright bodies between 2005 and 2006. [7] [8] [9] Arriva UK Bus also ordered small quantities of B7TLs for its operations outside London, including 20 with Alexander ALX400 bodywork and 20 with Plaxton President bodywork for Arriva Yorkshire delivered between 2000 and 2001, [10] [11] 49 ALX400s for Arriva Medway Towns in 2004 as part of Operation Overdrive, [12] and 30 ALX400s for Arriva Merseyside in 2006. [13]

East Yorkshire Motor Services ordered 36 B7TLs with Plaxton President bodywork from 2000 to 2003, six of these being delivered to their Manchester subsidiary Finglands Coachways, before later ordering 18 more B7TLs with Wright bodies from 2005 to 2006. [14] [15] Southern Vectis ordered seven Volvo B7TLs with Plaxton President bodywork at the end of 2001.[ citation needed ]

The last Volvo B7TLs entered service with First Glasgow with the Wright Eclipse Gemini bodywork in April 2007. [ citation needed ]

Ireland

Buses built on the B7TL chassis were also popular with Irish operators Dublin Bus purchasing 648 B7TLs built with Alexander ALX400 bodywork between 2000 and 2007,[ citation needed ] while Bus Éireann also purchased over twenty B7TLs with East Lancs Myllennium Vyking bodies for services in Cork between 2001 and 2004. [16] [ better source needed ]

South Africa

150 Volvo B7TLs with Marcopolo Viale bodywork were delivered to Metrobus of Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002, alongside an order for 50 Marcopolo bodied Volvo B7R single deck buses. These were the first low-floor buses to enter service in South Africa as part of a major company modernisation scheme. [17]

See also

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Volvo B7TL at Wikimedia Commons

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volvo B9TL</span> Low-floor double-decker bus built by Volvo

The Volvo B9TL is a low-floor double-decker bus built by Volvo from 2002 until 2018. It superseded the Volvo Super Olympian and the Volvo B7TL. The 2-axle version has been superseded by the Volvo B5TL in 2014 and the 3-axle version has been superseded by the Volvo B8L in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrightbus</span> Northern Irish bus manufacturer

Wrightbus is a Northern Irish bus manufacturer and a pioneer of the low-floor bus. The company was established in 1946 by Robert Wright and was later run by his son William Wright, until it was acquired in 2019 by British businessman Jo Bamford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volvo B7L</span> Low-floor rear-engined bus chassis

The Volvo B7L is a fully low floor single-decker bus, double-decker bus and articulated bus chassis with a rear engine mounted vertically on the left of the rear overhang. It was built as a replacement for the Volvo B10L, and the Volvo Olympian, used as both a single-decker bus and a double-decker bus chassis largely in Continental Europe. The Volvo B7L was superseded by the Volvo B9L in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander ALX400</span> 2-axle double decker bus body

The Alexander ALX400 was a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders. It was one of the ALX-series bodywork, all of which featured the same designs on the front and rear panels that were originally designed for the new generation of mainly low-floor bus chassis produced since the late 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaxton President</span> 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus body

The Plaxton President was a low floor double-decker bus body built by Plaxton at the former Northern Counties factory in Wigan, England. It was first unveiled in 1997 on the longitudinal Volvo B7L chassis and later built between 1999 and 2005 following a body redesign. When it became part of TransBus International, the body was sold under the TransBus name. The President was built on the Dennis/TransBus Trident, the DAF DB250 and the Volvo B7TL chassis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Dennis Enviro400</span> Low-floor double-decker bus chassis and bodywork

The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 is a twin-axle low-floor double-decker bus that was built by the British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis between 2005 and 2018. It replaced the Alexander ALX400. In 2014, the Enviro400 was succeeded by the updated Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC and production of the classic Enviro400 ceased in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VDL DB250</span> Twin-axle double-decker bus chassis

The VDL DB250 was a twin-axle double-decker bus chassis manufactured by VDL Bus & Coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wright Eclipse Gemini</span> Low-floor double-decker bus body

The Wright Eclipse Gemini is a low-floor double-decker bus body that was built by Wrightbus since 2001, based on the single-decker Wright Eclipse design. The second-generation Eclipse Gemini 2 was launched in 2009, followed by the third-generation Gemini 3 in 2013. Additionally, the body was available on Volvo Super Olympian chassis in Hong Kong between 2003 and 2005, marketed as the Wright Explorer.

Operation Overdrive is the name of a series of improvement programmes carried out by Arriva in their UK bus operations. The original Operation Overdrive was done by Arriva Southern Counties in the Medway Towns (Kent) in 2004, with further operations occurring in Maidstone (Kent), Merseyside, Leicestershire, County Durham, and Southend-on-Sea (Essex).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Trident 2</span> 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus

The Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally manufactured by Dennis, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow. It was built by TransBus after Dennis was incorporated into the group in 2001, then from 2004, it was built by Alexander Dennis following the collapse of TransBus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Lancashire Coachbuilders</span> Bus bodywork manufacturer based in Blackburn, England

East Lancashire Coachbuilders Limited was a manufacturer of bus bodies and carriages founded in 1934 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. The company went into administration for a short while in August 2007, before being bought by Darwen Group and performed a reverse takeover with Optare when its parent purchased the company in 2008 and its site and business was later closed in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wright Pulsar Gemini</span> Double decker bus body

The Wright Pulsar Gemini was a design of double-decker bus bodywork built onto VDL DB250LF chassis by Wrightbus between 2003 and 2006. It was visually almost identical to the Wright Eclipse Gemini that was mounted on the Volvo B7TL and later Volvo B9TL chassis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Lancs Nordic</span> Low-floor double-decker tri-axle bus on Volvo B7L chassis

The East Lancs Nordic is a type of low-floor double-decker bus body built by East Lancashire Coachbuilders. It was built on tri-axle double-decker Volvo B7L chassis, with a length of 12 metres and a seating capacity of up to 95 passengers. The Nordic body design is based on an elongated version of the East Lancs Vyking body, with the name "Nordic" being derived from the chassis being built by a company from Sweden. The bus was later superseded by its Myllennium counterpart in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Lancs Vyking</span> Low-floor double-deck bus body on Volvo B7L and B7TL chassis

The East Lancs Vyking is a type of double-decker bus body built by East Lancashire Coachbuilders. It is the double-deck version of the Spryte. It continued the long line of 'misspelt' names which continued until the Scania OmniDekka. It was built on the Volvo B7TL chassis. The name "Vyking" was derived from the chassis being built by a company from Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Optare Olympus</span> Double-decker bus

The Optare Olympus is a double-decker bus built by Optare, East Lancs and Darwen. It could be built as a body available on Alexander Dennis Enviro400, Volvo B9TL or Scania N230UD/N270UD chassis with the 2-axle and 3-axle variants. It is the double-decker equivalent of the Optare Esteem. Some 3-axle Olympus buses were built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wright Gemini 2</span> Motor vehicle

The Wright Gemini 2 is a double-decker bus built by Wrightbus between 2009 and 2013. It was announced in December 2007 but was not named until 2008. It was constructed as a semi-integral vehicle, with chassis modules provided by VDL. The bodywork utilised some lighter materials so that the vehicle was lighter than the Eclipse Gemini and Pulsar Gemini bodied buses. It was available in two versions; the Gemini 2 DL diesel-powered version, and the Gemini 2 HEV diesel-electric hybrid version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volvo B5LH</span> Motor vehicle

The Volvo B5LH is a low-floor hybrid electric bus chassis for both single-decker buses and double-decker buses manufactured by Volvo since 2008. It is the basis for Volvo's integral 7700 Hybrid full low floor city bus and its successor, the 7900 Hybrid from 2011. In 2008, pre-production batches of both types of chassis were manufactured. Serial production started in June 2010. From 2013 it is also available as an articulated bus chassis. First entering service in London, the B5LH is the only current double decker type in service in the United Kingdom that uses a parallel hybrid drive system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Lancs OmniDekka</span> Double-decker bus built by East Lancashire Coachbuilders / Darwen Grp / Optare

The East Lancs OmniDekka is a double-decker bus built for sale in the UK market, introduced by East Lancashire Coachbuilders in 2003. Originally built on Scania N94UD chassis at Euro 3, and later Scania N230UD and N270UD at Euro 4 and Euro 5, the bodywork consists of a modified East Lancs Myllennium double decker, but with the standard front end cowl and windscreen replaced with that of Scania's own integral OmniCity. Through takeovers of East Lancs, production of the OmniDekka was latterly carried out by the Darwen Group and finally Optare before ceasing in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volvo B5TL</span> Motor vehicle

The Volvo B5TL is a 2-axle low-floor double decker built by Volvo. It replaced the B9TL as Volvo's Euro 6 2-axle double decker product for the UK and Irish markets.

References

  1. "TWM orders Wrightbus deckers for Midlands, Dundee" (Press release). Ballymena: WrightGroup. 9 June 2004. Archived from the original on 11 March 2006. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  2. Morris, Stephen (April 2000). "Road Test: Is this the new Olympian?". Buses . No. 541. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 20–23. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  3. "Double-deckers go back on city streets". Belfast Telegraph. 26 March 2001. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  4. Stanczyk, Sarah (28 January 2003). "Translink Moves Public Transport into Top Gear" (Press release). Belfast: Translink. Archived from the original on 26 June 2003. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  5. "Translink orders 200 new buses for NI fleet". The Irish Times. 20 April 2005. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  6. Wharmby, Matthew (11 November 2021). The London Volvo B7TL. Pen and Sword Transport. p. 272. ISBN   978-1-52678-695-1 . Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  7. "The First President" . Buses. No. 791. Stamford: Key Publishing. 21 January 2021. pp. 38–39. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  8. "Lothian switches to Volvo/Wrights". Bus & Coach Professional. 1 April 2005. Archived from the original on 24 March 2006. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  9. "Lothian orders Euro 3 and Euro 4". Bus & Coach Professional. 7 February 2006. Archived from the original on 24 March 2006. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  10. "Arriva hits the road with bus investment". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 27 May 1999. p. 10. ProQuest   328831312. Arriva is investing a further £8m on 70 buses in the Yorkshire area of its operations, including 20 low-floor double deck ALX 400 buses, destined for the Leeds guided bus way project.
  11. Day, James (12 September 2012). "Arriva's uniform bus and coach fleet". Coach & Bus Week . No. 1053. Peterborough. p. 58. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  12. Rowlands, P. (3 September 2004). "Medway Medley". Bus & Coach Professional. No. 87. Retrieved 14 July 2022 via TRID.
  13. Brown, Stewart (24 March 2006). "Investing in Merseyside". Bus & Coach Professional. Archived from the original on 24 March 2006. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  14. Shipp, Peter (23 April 2001). "EYMS Group announces another big order for new buses" (Press release). Hull: EYMS Group. Archived from the original on 7 July 2001. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  15. "East Yorkshire upgrades with Wrightbus" (Press release). Ballymena: WrightGroup. 2 November 2005. Archived from the original on 11 March 2006. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  16. "Our Friends over the Irish Sea" (Press release). Blackburn: East Lancashire Coachbuilders. 2004. Archived from the original on 1 April 2004. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  17. "New double-deckers for Johannesburg". Bus & Coach Professional. January 2002. Archived from the original on 9 August 2002. Retrieved 7 December 2023.