The City Class tram is a lightweight modular electric rail vehicle, exploiting cost effective components off the shelf (COTS) from a variety of industries. A single vehicle can be between 2400 mm (7ft 10) and 3500 mm (9ft 10) wide and between 16000 mm (52ft 6) and 38000 mm (125ft) long. The body is designed around interchangeable modules 1500 mm (5ft) long, which can be either windows or doors. The vehicle may be customised by front end design. We have registered international patents for this technology.
Advantages of the City concept Tram are:

• TRAM Power low track force bogie (2200 kg / 4830 lb), individual resilient wheels.
• Integral body fabricated from rustless steel (long life over 30 years) with a smooth ride.
• Body mounted traction motors – easy maintenance, kinder to tracks.
• Timoshenko crash worthy cab, with driver survival zone, meeting EU and US standards.
• Equipped with all modern passenger facilities to customer specification.
• Easy mid-life modification and upgrade.
• Low floor (300 mm / 12″) or high floor (760 mm / 30″) options.
• No equipment inside passenger saloon – full width flat floor, flexible seat arrangement.
• High passenger capacity (eg. 200 in 29m / 95ft articulated vehicle).
• On board power supercaps or batteries can also be supplied.
• Low energy consumption about 1kWh/km.

Through low initial cost, low operating and maintenance cost, the low whole life cost the City Class tram provides a highly efficient and economic public transport vehicle able to compete with buses on operating costs and match other rapid transit modes for speed and comfort. Trams give 90% of the benefits of a metro / underground / subway at 10% of the cost.

The light weight City Class tram has a low power consumption of about 1kWh per km. City Class trams are quiet. 60dBA external noise at a passing speed of 50km/hr (30mph). Internally 50dBA in the passenger saloon, and 55dBA in the driver’s cab. Over the life of the tram, this will save more in electricity than the initial purchase price. Also this has significant cost benefits with much reduced infrastructure maintenance requirements, especially as the maximum power draw is about 600 Amps, reducing the size of substations and the power distribution network.

The original design brief was a tram with lower operating cost than a bus. The design was encouraged by Blackpool Transport Services Ltd, which was part of the partnership that built the prototype tram.

The Tram Power concept is based on an academic paper by Professor Lesley in 1987 and was patented in 1993. The design concept includes an innovative powered bogie, where the 3 phase AC motor is body mounted and the motive power is transferred to the bogie, by a prop shaft and axle combination. A comprehensive development program, from computer modelling, through laboratory and bench testing resulted in a slave vehicle using a redundant 1933 tram. Trials were held on the Blackpool tramway, running the new traction system alongside existing 1930’s equipment.

A full scale 29 metre long 22 tonne prototype based on a low floor (300mm/12inch) design, incorporating the new low track force bogies and traction system was tested in Blackpool. The original prototype has been substantially refurbished and has been tested with HMRI consent on the Birkenhead  and Blackpool tramways, photos of this  can be found in our image gallery. The City Class Tram was subjected to industrial sabotage, according to police investigation. The tram has been rebuilt and re-commissioned as a demonstator.