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1 Background 2 Vehicle Design and Features...Page 4 of 11 Q:\130346\4_INTERNAL_PROJECT_DATA\4-05...
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Memorandum Page 1 of 11 Q:\130346\4_INTERNAL_PROJECT_DATA\4-05 REPORTS AND MEMOS\VEHICLE CONFIGURATION MEMO\VEHICLE CONFIG MEMO 2006 10 12 V3.DOC Ove Arup & Partners California Ltd F0.3 Rev 8.0, 1 November 2001 Reference number To Rachel Hiatt, SFCTA 130346/GH File reference cc Van Ness BRT Study Team 4-05 Date From Gary Hsueh x 0209 (SF) Trent Lethco October 12, 2006 Subject Van Ness BRT Study Vehicle Configurations Update 1 Background In December 2004, Arup produced a memo discussing vehicle configuration issues with door arrays on both sides. Since then, some jurisdictions in the United States have ordered vehicles with door arrays on both sides. Arup conducted an Internet and telephone survey of major bus manufacturers and transit operators to determine the availability and cost of transit bus vehicles that would meet the Van Ness BRT vehicle characteristics in the 2010 time frame. This memo updates the available information for rubber-tired vehicles that have doors on both sides and can potentially be powered by overhead catenary wires. Contact information for each of the entities discussed is included at the end of this document. 2 Vehicle Design and Features 2.1 Left-Side Doors During discussions about BRT alternatives, interest was expressed in a design option that would feature transit stations located in the Van Ness Avenue median. Vehicles would operate in the far left lane of traffic and move with the prevailing flow of traffic in each direction. Buses would need to have left side doors to allow passengers to board from the median station platforms. However, as the buses would also serve local routes outside the Van Ness BRT corridor, buses would need to have doors on the right side to accommodate standard boarding. The double-sided door configuration is common for trams, streetcars, and light rail vehicles, and stations are able to be located on either side of the runningway. Double-sided buses are also used in Europe, but this is only an emerging design concept among domestic manufacturers in North America. At the present time, only the MBTA in Boston uses a bus with doors on both sides of the vehicle in North America. These are conventional, high-floor, 40-foot long electric trolleybuses that are required not for BRT, but to accommodate the existing layout of one of their transit centers. The manufacturer of those buses has since ceased transit bus manufacturing operations in North America. However, more manufacturers are bringing vehicles with doors on both sides to the North American market. Cleveland, OH and Eugene, OR are soon to use BRT vehicles with doors on both sides, as they are taking delivery of 60-foot-long double-sided BRT vehicles in 2006 and 2007.
Transcript of 1 Background 2 Vehicle Design and Features...Page 4 of 11 Q:\130346\4_INTERNAL_PROJECT_DATA\4-05...
Memorandum
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Q:\130346\4_INTERNAL_PROJECT_DATA\4-05 REPORTS AND MEMOS\VEHICLE CONFIGURATION MEMO\VEHICLE CONFIG MEMO 2006 10 12 V3.DOC
Ove Arup & Partners California Ltd F0.3Rev 8.0, 1 November 2001
Reference number To Rachel Hiatt, SFCTA
130346/GH
File reference cc Van Ness BRT Study Team
4-05
Date From Gary Hsueh x 0209 (SF) Trent Lethco October 12, 2006
Subject Van Ness BRT Study Vehicle Configurations Update
1 Background
In December 2004, Arup produced a memo discussing vehicle configuration issues with door arrays on both sides. Since then, some jurisdictions in the United States have ordered vehicles with door arrays on both sides. Arup conducted an Internet and telephone survey of major bus manufacturers and transit operators to determine the availability and cost of transit bus vehicles that would meet the Van Ness BRT vehicle characteristics in the 2010 time frame. This memo updates the available information for rubber-tired vehicles that have doors on both sides and can potentially be powered by overhead catenary wires. Contact information for each of the entities discussed is included at the end of this document.
2 Vehicle Design and Features
2.1 Left-Side Doors
During discussions about BRT alternatives, interest was expressed in a design option that would feature transit stations located in the Van Ness Avenue median. Vehicles would operate in the far left lane of traffic and move with the prevailing flow of traffic in each direction. Buses would need to have left side doors to allow passengers to board from the median station platforms. However, as the buses would also serve local routes outside the Van Ness BRT corridor, buses would need to have doors on the right side to accommodate standard boarding. The double-sided door configuration is common for trams, streetcars, and light rail vehicles, and stations are able to be located on either side of the runningway. Double-sided buses are also used in Europe, but this is only an emerging design concept among domestic manufacturers in North America.
At the present time, only the MBTA in Boston uses a bus with doors on both sides of the vehicle in North America. These are conventional, high-floor, 40-foot long electric trolleybuses that are required not for BRT, but to accommodate the existing layout of one of their transit centers. The manufacturer of those buses has since ceased transit bus manufacturing operations in North America. However, more manufacturers are bringing vehicles with doors on both sides to the North American market. Cleveland, OH and Eugene, OR are soon to use BRT vehicles with doors on both sides, as they are taking delivery of 60-foot-long double-sided BRT vehicles in 2006 and 2007.
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2.2 Low-Floor Designs
All of the vehicles included in this memo feature a low-floor design. However, they do vary slightly. Some vehicles feature a low floor for most of the length of the vehicle, including all door entrances. Near the back end of the vehicle, a section is raised, requiring some passengers to step up two steps. The rationale for this design is that it retains all of the propulsion components underneath the bus, which eases maintenance and is more similar to conventional buses, while allowing most passengers of the bus to use the low-floor portion. Some of the other vehicles feature a low floor throughout the vehicle. This allows additional doors to be placed at the very end of the vehicle, which can reduce dwell time. However, this design requires that propulsion components be placed on one side of the bus and/or above the bus, which can require a change in maintenance capabilities and procedures. All of the vehicles feature level boarding or a simple flip-out wheelchair ramp, negating the need to install a complicated lift system. They also have at least one, if not two or three, wheelchair securement positions (though the additional positions come at the expense of seating).
2.3 Advances in Propulsion and Guidance Technology
Within the past two years, many advances have been achieved in the transit bus industry. Hybrid-electric systems are much more popular; they can achieve up to 40% greater fuel efficiency than conventional diesels. Even cutting-edge hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses are available; several are in use by AC Transit, SunLine Transit in Phoenix, AZ, and soon Connecticut Transit. However, perhaps the greatest change in the past year is the change in the diesel fuel standard. All diesel fuel sold in California as of September 2006 is required to have dramatically reduced sulfur content, and this requirement will be phased in throughout the United States over the next few years. Fuel labeled “ultra low sulfur diesel” contains less than 15 ppm (parts per million) of sulfur compared to the 500 ppm fuels that were previously sold. The lower sulfur content allows diesel particulate traps to be installed on 2007 model year engines, reducing emissions by up to 90% compared to current engines. All of the vehicles included in this memo are available with diesel-electric hybrid propulsion packages.
Electric catenary systems are still the most environmentally-friendly propulsion systems because the supplied electricity can be sourced from renewable energy. Catenaries are used frequently in Europe, but somewhat less so in North America. Consequently, there are fewer vehicle manufacturers that offer their vehicles with overhead catenary systems. And, because of the lower demand, the availability of overhead catenary systems on some European models requires some investigation by the manufacturer even though they are available in Europe.
Two of the vehicles featured in this memo, the APTS Phileas 60 and the Irisbus Civis, use automatic guidance systems that allow them to navigate runningways with greater accuracy and stop at station platforms at a consistent distance from the platform edge. The guidance systems rely on special pavement markings or small embedded pavement magnets. One less complex option is a guidance arm, which consists of a wheel mounted horizontally on the vehicle. Though the vehicle is driven normally without assistance, as the vehicle pulls into a station, the guidance arm is used to help maintain the proper distance from the edge of the platform.
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2.4 Other Design Features
Other features now common in all BRT or “Rapid” (pre-BRT) vehicles include:
• Attractive styling and larger windows • Automatic Vehicle Location systems – with automatic stop announcements • Automatic door openers – including motion detector-activated, activation from outside the
vehicle (for use in a proof-of-payment system) • Interior video surveillance systems for passenger and driver safety • Automatic passenger counters • Transit Signal Priority systems
3 Survey of Available Vehicles Within the past two years, new BRT vehicles have been introduced to the North American market, while orders have solidified for some of the designs highlighted previously. In addition, there is now a more widespread adoption of hybrid electric propulsion systems, while new diesel fuel standards adopted in California and slated for the rest of the nation have considerably improved the environmental impact of conventional diesel engines.
For this memo, Arup conducted surveys of bus manufacturers and transit agencies to gather data specifically with the Van Ness BRT study in mind. Focus was placed on finding 60-foot long, low-floor, double-sided vehicles powered by overhead catenary wires. Some vehicles that don’t meet all these criteria have been included because they may be adapted for service on Van Ness, given two factors: 1) a purchase likely won’t be made until at least two years into the future; and 2) the public transit vehicle market is evolving very quickly right now to meet the demand of various BRT projects coming on line in North America.
The six vehicles profiled in this memo include:
• Advanced Public Transport Systems Phileas 60
• Irisbus Civis
• New Flyer DE60LF-BRT
• North American Bus Industries Model 60-BRT Hybrid
• Van Hool AG300
• Wrightbus StreetCar
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3.1 Advanced Public Transport Systems (APTS) Phileas 60
The Phileas 60 is a magnetically-guided “tram on rubber tires.” Designed to mimic a conventional streetcar or light rail vehicle, the Phileas is a relatively new vehicle introduced in Europe. The vehicle is 60 feet long, is low-floor throughout, and features all-wheel steering. Automatic guidance is provided by a field of magnets embedded in the roadbed; vehicle onboard sensors detect the magnets as the vehicle travels, allowing buses to pass each other at minimal clearance and guiding vehicles to precise docking position at station platforms.
APTS Phileas 60 Summary Characteristics Length 60 feet
Capacity 29 seats, 111 total passengers
Low-Floor Yes; full length
Door Configuration 6 total; 3 left, 3 right
Propulsion Options Hybrid Diesel-Electric Overhead Electric
Cost $900,000+ (for hybrid diesel-electric)
Phileas 60
Diagram of Phileas 60 with Catenary
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3.2 Irisbus Civis
In 2004, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) initiated the first Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) corridor BRT service serving the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The service uses an optically-guided BRT vehicle called Civis, which is a design from Irisbus, a company headquartered in France. The vehicle’s guidance system follows pavement markings, providing very close tolerances between vehicle and platform at stations. As configured for MAX, the Civis is a 60-foot long, low-floor articulated vehicle that has four doors on the right side. The vehicles cost approximately $2 million each, though the manufacturer also suggests a lower range of $1 million is possible.
Irisbus Civis Summary Characteristics Length 60 feet
Capacity 27 seats, 117 total passengers
Low-Floor Yes; full length
Door Configuration 4 total; 4 right; engineering investigation is needed to determine if doors on both sides is possible
Propulsion Options Hybrid Diesel-Electric Overhead Electric
Cost $980,000 $2,000,000 (as configured for MAX)
RTC MAX Civis
Civis Bus with Catenary
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3.3 New Flyer DE60LF-BRT
Cleveland, OH and Eugene, OR have both ordered vehicles from New Flyer with door arrays on both sides. The dedicated BRT vehicle is called the DE60LF-BRT. It is a low-floor, 60-foot articulated bus that features 5 doors (2 on the left side, 3 on the right side), has 46 seats, and space for 120 total passengers, including areas for two wheelchairs and two interior bicycle racks.
As configured for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s Euclid Corridor Silver Line BRT service, the vehicle features hybrid diesel-electric propulsion. The cost to the GCRTA for 21 vehicles is $20.52 million, which includes the development cost of the prototype vehicle. Lane Transit District in Eugene, Oregon is sharing the cost with GCRTA by ordering five similar vehicles at an average cost of $932,000 per vehicle. The hybrid propulsion system is approximately $150,000 more than a conventional diesel system. Lane Transit’s vehicles will start delivery in October 2006; GCRTA will receive its vehicles between June and October 2007. The GCRTA vehicles will feature a docking arm, which will guide vehicles as they pull into a station and help maintain the ideal distance between vehicle and platform.
New Flyer DE60LF-BRT Summary Characteristics Length 60 feet
Capacity 47 seats, 106 total passengers
Low-Floor Yes; rear riser
Door Configuration 5 total; 2 left, 3 right
Propulsion Options Hybrid Diesel-Electric Overhead Electric
Cost $850,000 - $950,000
Photo Simulation of Lane Transit EmX
Rendering of Cleveland Euclid Corridor Vehicle
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3.4 North American Bus Industries (NABI) Model 60-BRT Hybrid
NABI has been producing the Model 60-BRT, a 60-foot articulated low-floor vehicle for the Los Angeles Metro Rapid system. The Model 60-BRT has 3 sets of doors on the right side and has an interior bike rack. Los Angeles has received almost 200 vehicles over the past several years and has exercised an option to purchase 96 more for delivery in 2006 and 2007. The total cost per vehicle can range from $650,000 to $850,000.
More recently, NABI has started to offer a 60-foot vehicle with doors on both sides, configured to provide three doors on the right side and two on the left. Labeled the Model 60-BRT Hybrid, this vehicle features a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system.
NABI Model 60-BRT Hybrid Summary Characteristics Length 60 feet
Capacity 62 seats, 92 total passengers
Low-Floor Yes; rear riser
Door Configuration 5 total; 2 left, 3 right
Propulsion Options Hybrid Diesel-Electric
Cost $850,000+
Model 60-BRT (60-foot, 3-door)
Model 60-BRT Hybrid (60-foot, 5-door)
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3.5 Van Hool AG300
Van Hool’s products are popular throughout Europe. In the United States, it has one major public transit bus contract with AC Transit. Van Hool buses are also in operation in the Greater Toronto Area in Canada. AC Transit’s 134 (40-foot) and 57 (60-foot) articulated buses form an integral part of the 72 Rapid bus service and also serve major trunk lines throughout the East Bay. The AC Transit buses do not have doors on both sides.
Van Hool does offer models with doors on both sides, as they are already in service in Europe. A 60-foot articulated vehicle would have up to 4 doors on the right side and 2 doors on the left side. An electric trolleybus version is also used in Europe; it is not in operation in North America but could be investigated by the manufacturer. For comparison purposes, the propulsion component cost of conventional diesel is approximately $50,000, $100,000 for hybrid electric, and all-electric may cost more. Hydrogen fuel cell-powered buses are also in service with AC Transit (3 buses), SunLine Transit (Palm Springs, CA)(1 bus), and later in 2006, Connecticut Transit (1 bus). The cost of the hydrogen fuel-cell buses for AC Transit and SunLine was $3 million per vehicle, whereas the Connecticut Transit bus will cost about $2.3 million, indicating that the technology is still maturing and costs are lowering.
Van Hool AG300 Summary Characteristics Length 60 feet
Capacity 45 seats, 102 total passengers
Low-Floor Yes; full length
Door Configuration 6 total; 2 left, 4 right
Propulsion Options
Clean Diesel Hybrid Diesel-Electric Overhead Electric (Potentially; availability and cost may depend on size of order)
Cost $475,000+
AG300 for AC Transit
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3.6 Wrightbus StreetCar
The Wrightbus StreetCar is a new BRT vehicle originally designed in 2005 for application in the United Kingdom. Wrightbus is a major bus manufacturer in the United Kingdom, and more than 50 vehicles have been ordered for initial operation in the newest BRT scheme, called “ftr”, there. The StreetCar is a 62-foot long, low-floor vehicle with three doors on one side. In the United States, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) placed a $55 million order in 2006 for delivery of 50 StreetCar Rapid Transit Vehicles in 2008/2009, with additional options for 100 more. The vehicles will serve two new MAX rapid transit corridors in the Las Vegas area. The RTC MAX StreetCars will feature hybrid diesel-electric propulsion.
Wrightbus StreetCar Summary Characteristics Length 62 feet
Capacity N/A
Low-Floor Yes; full length
Door Configuration 3 total; 3 right; engineering investigation is needed to determine if doors on both sides is possible
Propulsion Options Hybrid Diesel-Electric
Cost $1,100,000
Wrightbus StreetCar
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4 Appendix A. Contact Information
4.1 Transit Agencies
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority / Euclid Corridor Project
http://www.gcrta.org/
http://euclidtransit.org/home.asp
Danielle Willis
217-771-4144
Lane Transit District / EmX http://www.ltd.org/index.html
541-682-6100
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada / MAX
http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/max/
Transit Operations Administration
702-676-1710
Lydia Bilynski
702-676-1500
4.2 Manufacturers
Advanced Public Transport Systems
+31 492 562013
www.apts-phileas.com
Irisbus
www.irisbus.com
Theo Hoefs
+31 76 59 60 600
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New Flyer
http://www.newflyer.com/
Chris Cudmore, Account Specialist
204-224-6626
Rick Brandenburg, Director of Sales
719-395-9284
North American Bus Industries, Inc.
http://www.nabiusa.com/
Ron Ingraham
909-773-0500
Van Hool (ABC Companies – North American distributor)
http://www.abc-companies.com/main.htm
Hugh McElvaney, Director of Transit Sales
800-222-2871 x 7318; 215-688-7596
Wrightbus
http://www.wrightbus.com/
Claire Coulter, Marketing Executive
+44 028 2564 1212
Paul Blair
