Kinkisharyo hybrid LRT displayed in Dallas
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefKinkisharyo International, LLC put its electro-hybrid ameriTRAM streetcar on display in Dallas Friday, continuing its national promotion of the streetcar designed for U.S. urban needs in a city already pursuing several streetcar route options.
“We thank the City of Dallas and the Dallas Area Rapid Transit for allowing us to exhibit our ameriTRAM here. We also very much appreciate the City of Dallas’s courtesy of providing us this outstanding venue for us to introduce ameriTRAM to Texas,” said Rainer Hombach, vice president and general manager of Kinkisharyo International.
The company says ameriTRAM (shown at left) is a 100% low-floor streetcar powered by e-Brid™, a propulsion technology that enables operation powered by overhead catenary or on-board lithium-ion batteries. e-BridTM charges the batteries while running on catenary power and when braking. In battery mode, e-BridTM uses the stored electricity to operate at full performance without overhead wires. Depending on conditions, ameriTRAM™ can run on battery power for up to five miles.
Kinkisharyo is touting the advantages ameriTRAM offers, citing the need for less electrification equipment and maintenance to potentially save “millions of dollars in capital investment and operational costs. The company also notes reduction of overhead catenary wire allows ameriTRAM™ to serve sensitive historic preservation areas, or where installing overhead wires is just not practical, such as under low bridges. It notes ameriTRAM™ was specifically engineered for North America and complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Buy America, NFPA-130, and ASME RT-1.
Kinkisharyo debuted ameriTRAM to the North American market on Jan. 20 in Charlotte, N.C. More information is available at www.ameritram.com.
