Alstom APS

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Bordeaux tram using APS on route B near the Roustaing tramstop Bordeaux-tram-aps-near-Roustaing.jpg
Bordeaux tram using APS on route B near the Roustaing tramstop
A section of APS track showing the neutral sections at the end of the powered segments plus one of the insulating joint boxes which mechanically and electrically join the APS rail segments Bordeaux-aps+isolation&joint.jpg
A section of APS track showing the neutral sections at the end of the powered segments plus one of the insulating joint boxes which mechanically and electrically join the APS rail segments

Alstom APS, also known as Alimentation par Sol or Alimentation Par le Sol (which literally means "feeding via the ground"), is a form of ground-level power supply for street trams and, potentially, other vehicles. APS was developed by Innorail, a subsidiary of Spie Enertrans, but was sold to Alstom when Spie was acquired by Amec. It was originally created for the Bordeaux tramway, which was constructed from 2000 and opened in 2003. From 2011, the technology has been used in a number of other cities around the world. [1]

Contents

APS is used, primarily for aesthetic reasons, as an alternative to overhead lines. As such, it competes with other ground-level power supply systems but also with energy storage systems such as batteries. In 2015, Alstom developed a derivative of APS, Alstom SRS (Système de Recharge statique par le sol or static-based ground charging system), which can be used to recharge battery powered trams and buses while they are stationary at stops. [2]

Alstom further developed the system for use by road vehicles such as semi-trailer trucks and cars. The electric road system has been tested for compatibility with snow plows and for safety under exposure to snow, ice, salting, and saturated brine. [3] France will trial the electric road system on a public road in the Rhône-Alpes region between 2024 and 2027. [4]

Technology

APS uses a third rail placed between the running rails that is divided electrically into 11 m segments that automatically switch on and off according to whether a tram is passing over them, thereby eliminating risk to other road users. [5] Each tram has two power collection shoes, next to which are antennas that send radio signals to energise the power rail segments as the tram passes over them. At any time, two consecutive segments under the tram will be live.[ citation needed ]

APS is different from the conduit current collection system, which was one of the first ways of supplying power to a tram system, as the latter involves burying a third and fourth rail in an underground conduit or trench between the running rails. Conduit current collection was used in historic tram systems in Washington, Manhattan, Paris, Berlin, Marseilles, Vienna, Budapest and London. It fell into disuse because overhead wires proved much less expensive and troublesome for street railways. [6]

Safety

Unlike the track-side third rail that is used by most metro trains and some main-line railways, APS poses no danger to people or animals and so can be used in pedestrian areas and city streets. [5] The French government reports no electrocutions or electrification accidents on any tramway in France from as early as 2003 [7] until as recently as December 31, 2020. [7] [8]

Uses

Bordeaux

Track with APS under construction in Place Paul Doumer, Bordeaux Bordeaux-aps-place-paul-doumer.jpg
Track with APS under construction in Place Paul Doumer, Bordeaux

Modern ground-level current collection was pioneered by the Bordeaux tramway in France. The public had assumed that the new system would use a traditional conduit system like that of the Bordeaux trams that had run prior to 1958 and objected when it learned that it was not considered safe and that overhead wires were to be used instead. Facing complaints both from the public and the French Ministry of Culture, planners developed APS as a modern way of replicating the conduit system.[ citation needed ]

There are 12 km (7.5 mi) of APS tramway in the three-line network of 43.3 km (26.9 mi) as of 2008. Bordeaux Alstom Citadis trams use pantographs and electric overhead lines in outlying areas.[ citation needed ]

Before use in Bordeaux, APS was tested and proved viable on a short section of reserved-track in the French city of Marseille. Nevertheless, Bordeaux has experienced problems, with APS being so temperamental that at one stage, the mayor issued an ultimatum that if reliability could not be guaranteed, it would have to be replaced with overhead wires.[ citation needed ]

Problems have included water-logging, when the water does not drain quickly enough after heavy rain.[ citation needed ]

Other cities

Alstom APS tracks on the CBD and South East Light Rail in Sydney New trams operating in George street Sydney CBD - late December 2019 - 49281061742.jpg
Alstom APS tracks on the CBD and South East Light Rail in Sydney
SystemCityCountryOpenedComments
Angers tramway Angers France 2011 [9] [10]
Reims tramway Reims France 2011 [9]
Orléans tramway Orléans France 2012 [11]
Tours tramway Tours France 2013 [12]
Dubai Tram Dubai United Arab Emirates 2014The system is fully equipped with APS over its entire passenger route length and thus trams do not use their pantographs unless they are travelling within the depot area. [13]
VLT Carioca Rio de Janeiro Brazil 2016The system mainly uses APS, but where that was deemed impractical, the trams employ Alstom's proprietary supercapacitor-based energy storage system. [14]
CBD and South East Light Rail Sydney Australia 2019The system uses APS within the Sydney CBD and conventional overhead wires elsewhere. [15]
Cuenca tram Cuenca Ecuador 2020The system uses APS in certain regions only and conventional overhead wires elsewhere. [16]
Istanbul T5 tramway Istanbul Turkey 2021 [17]
Lusail Tram Lusail Qatar 2022The system uses APS on the above ground sections, with around 19 km of APS. [18]

Standardization

Alstom, Elonroad, and other companies in 2020 began drafting a standard for ground-level power supply electric roads. [19] [20] A working group of the French Ministry of Ecology considers rail ground-level power supply technology to be the most likely candidate for electric roads. [21] The first standard for electrical equipment on board a vehicle powered by a rail electric road system (ERS), CENELEC Technical Standard 50717, has been approved in late 2022. [22] The following standards, encompassing "full interoperability" and a "unified and interoperable solution" for ground-level power supply, are scheduled to be published by the end 2024, detailing complete "specifications for communication and power supply through conductive rails embedded in the road". [23] [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in France</span> Overview of the transport in France

Transportation in France relies on one of the densest networks in the world with 146 km of road and 6.2 km of rail lines per 100 km2. It is built as a web with Paris at its center. Rail, road, air and water are all widely developed forms of transportation in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Third rail</span> Method of providing electric power to a railway train

A third rail, also known as a live rail, electric rail or conductor rail, is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost fully segregated from the outside environment. Third-rail systems are usually supplied from direct current electricity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alstom Citadis</span> Family of low-floor trams and light rail vehicles

The Alstom Citadis is a family of low-floor trams and light rail vehicles built by Alstom. As of 2017, over 2,300 Citadis trams have been sold and 1,800 tramways are in revenue service throughout the world, with operations in all six inhabited continents. An evolution of Alstom's earlier TFS vehicle, most Citadis vehicles are made in Alstom's factories in La Rochelle, Reichshoffen and Valenciennes, France, and in Barcelona, Spain, and Annaba, Algeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ground-level power supply</span> System for powering electric vehicles

Ground-level power supply, also known as surface current collection or, in French, alimentation par le sol, is a concept and group of technologies whereby electric vehicles collect electric power at ground level from individually-powered segments instead of the more common overhead lines. Ground-level power supply was developed for aesthetic reasons, to avoid the presence of overhead lines in city centres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conduit current collection</span>

Conduit current collection is an obsolete system that was used by some electric tramways to pass current to streetcars via a "conduit", a small tunnel under the roadway. Modern systems fall under the term ground-level power supply.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tramway track</span> Type of railway track used for trams or light rail transit

Tramway track is used on tramways or light rail operations. Grooved rails are often used to provide a protective flangeway in the trackwork in city streets. Like standard rail tracks, tram tracks consist of two parallel steel rails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bordeaux tramway</span> Tram system serving the city of Bordeaux

The Bordeaux tramway network consists of four lines serving the city of Bordeaux in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. The system has a route length of 77.5 kilometres (48.2 mi), serving a total of 133 tram stops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rouen tramway</span>

The Rouen tramway is a tramway/light rail network in the city of Rouen, Normandy, France. Construction began in 1991 and the network opened for service on 17 December 1994.

The stud contact system is an obsolete ground-level power supply system for electric trams. Power supply studs were set in the road at intervals and connected to a buried electric cable by switches operated by magnets on the tramcars. Current was collected from the studs by a "skate" or "ski collector" under the tramcar. The system was popular for a while in the early 1900s but soon fell out of favour because of the unreliability of the magnetic switches, largely due to friction and rapid corrosion affecting its cast iron moving components.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reims tramway</span> French tram system

Reims tramway is a tram system in the French city of Reims, which opened in April 2011. It travels north to south, through the city, along 11.2 kilometres (7.0 mi) of route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angers tramway</span> Tramway network in Angers, Pays de la Loire, France

The Angers tramway is the tramway network in the French city of Angers in Pays de la Loire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in France</span>

Trams in France date from 1837 when a 15 km steam tram line connected Montrond-les-Bains and Montbrison in the Loire. With the development of electric trams at the end of the 19th century, networks proliferated in French cities over a period of 15 years. Although nearly all of the country's tram systems were replaced by bus services in the 1930s or shortly after the Second World War, France is now in the forefront of the revival of tramways and light rail systems around the globe. Only tram lines in Lille and Saint-Étienne have operated continuously since the 19th century; the Marseille tramway system ran continuously until 2004 and only closed then for 3 years for extensive refurbishment into a modern tram network. Since the opening of the Nantes tramway in 1985, more than twenty towns and cities across France have built new tram lines. As of 2020, there are 29 operational tram networks in France, with 3 more planned. France is also home to Alstom, a leading tram manufacturer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dubai Tram</span>

The Dubai Tram is a tramway located in Al Sufouh, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It runs for 14.5 kilometers (9.0 mi) along Al Sufouh Road from Dubai Marina to the Palm Jumeirah and Al Sufouh. The tram connects with the DMCC and Sobha Realty stations of the Dubai Metro's Red Line, and two more stations are expected to connect with the tram in the future. The Dubai Tram is also connected with the monorail of the Palm Jumeirah at the entrance of the Palm from Sufouh Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mulhouse tramway</span> Tram system in Mulhouse, France

The Mulhouse tramway is a tram network in the French city of Mulhouse in Alsace, France. It commenced service in 2006, and now comprises three purely tram lines, plus one hybrid tram-train line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rabat–Salé tramway</span> Tram system in the Moroccan agglomeration of Rabat and Salé cities

The Rabat–Salé tramway is a tram system in the Moroccan agglomeration of Rabat and Salé cities which opened on 23 May 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conductive charging</span>

Conductive charging is conductive power transfer that replaces the conductive wires between the charger and the charged device with conductive contacts. Charging infrastructure in the form of a board or rail delivers the power to a charging device equipped with an appropriate receiver, or pickup. When the infrastructure recognizes a valid receiver it powers on, and power is transferred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio de Janeiro Light Rail</span> Light rail system in Brazil

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acumulador de Carga Rápida</span> Battery electric tram system from Spain

Acumulador de Carga Rápida (ACR) is a battery electric tram system marketed by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) of Spain. Trams equipped with ACR are fast-charged while at stops; elsewhere they require no overhead line, which is desirable for reasons of safety, reliability, cost, and aesthetics. It also allows regenerative braking where direct current electrification systems cannot return (much) energy to the grid.

The Swedish Transport Administration electric road program or Swedish Transport Administration Electrification Program is a program involving the assessment, planning, and implementation of an electric road national infrastructure for Sweden by Trafikverket, the Swedish Transport Administration.

References

  1. ↑ "Third-rail trams across the Garonne". Railway Gazette International . 2004-02-01. Archived from the original on 2010-04-26. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  2. ↑ "Alstom transfers tram power supply technology to buses". Rail Insider. 26 September 2019. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  3. ↑ Patrick Dupart (February 11, 2022), Compatibility of an in-road Electric Road System with winter service operations (PDF), Alstom, PIARC
  4. ↑ Jean-Philippe Pastre (June 30, 2023), "L'APS d'Alstom bientôt testé sur les routes", TRM24
  5. 1 2 "APS: Service-proven catenary-free tramway operations". Alstom. Archived from the original on 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  6. ↑ Post, Robert C. (2007). Urban Mass Transit: The Life Story of a Technology . Greenwood Press. pp.  45–47. ISBN   978-0-313-33916-5.
  7. 1 2 Service Technique des Remontées Mécaniques et des Transports Guidés - Division TramWays (November 2011), ACCIDENTOLOGIE DES TRAMWAYS - Analyse des évènements déclarés année 2010 - évolution 2003-2010 (PDF)
  8. ↑ Service Technique des Remontées Mécaniques et des Transports Guidés - Division TramWays (October 19, 2021), Accidentologie « tramways » – Données 2020 (PDF)
  9. 1 2 "Reims and Angers choose APS". Railway Gazette International . 1 August 2006.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ "Angers tram opens". Railway Gazette International . 29 June 2011. Archived from the original on 13 October 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  11. ↑ Guerrieri, Marco (23 November 2019). "Catenary-Free Tramway Systems: Functional and Cost–Benefit Analysis for a Metropolitan Area". Urban Rail Transit. Springer Nature Switzerland AG. 5 (4): 289–309. doi: 10.1007/s40864-019-00118-y . hdl: 11572/246245 . S2CID   208953068.
  12. ↑ "Tours selects Citadis and APS". Railway Gazette International . 2010-09-14. Archived from the original on 2012-09-25. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  13. ↑ "Al Safouh tram project consortium selected". Railway Gazette International . 2008-04-29. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  14. ↑ Wright, Sarah. "Alstom opens Rio's tramway ready for the 2016 Olympic Games" . Retrieved 2017-11-04.
  15. ↑ "CBD and South East Light Rail improvements to deliver a better service for customers | Transport for NSW". Archived from the original on 2014-12-14. Retrieved 2014-12-02.
  16. ↑ UK, DVV Media. "First Cuenca tram on its way". Railway Gazette. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
  17. ↑ 2021-01-05T15:25:00. "Istanbul opens first section of Golden Horn tramway". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 2021-08-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ "Lusail Tramway enters commercial service". Alstom. 10 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-03. 19 km of APS in at grade sections (ground power supply)
  19. ↑ PIARC (February 17, 2021), Electric Road Systems - PIARC Online Discussion, 34 minutes 34 seconds (standardization), 2 hours 36 minutes 51 seconds (standardization), archived from the original on 2021-12-22
  20. ↑ Martin G. H. Gustavsson, ed. (March 26, 2021), "Key Messages on Electric Roads - Executive Summary from the CollERS Project" (PDF), CollERS, p. 6, retrieved February 11, 2022
  21. ↑ Laurent Miguet (April 28, 2022), "Sur les routes de la mobilité électrique", Le Moniteur
  22. ↑ "PD CLC/TS 50717 Technical Requirements for Current Collectors for ground-level feeding system on road vehicles in operation", The British Standards Institution , 2022, archived from the original on January 2, 2023, retrieved January 2, 2023
  23. ↑ Final draft: Standardization request to CEN-CENELEC on 'Alternative fuels infrastructure' (AFI II) (PDF), European Commission, February 2, 2022, archived from the original (PDF) on April 8, 2022, retrieved January 2, 2023
  24. ↑ Matts Andersson (July 4, 2022), Regulating Electric Road Systems in Europe - How can a deployment of ERS be facilitated? (PDF), CollERS2 - Swedish German research collaboration on Electric Road Systems
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