catenary free

Škoda Transportation is set to supply 12 catenary-free ForCity Classic trams to the Turkish city of Konya.

The company has already agreed to supply 60 ForCity Classic (28T) trams to the city. As part of an extended contract, 72 trams in total will be delivered to Konya with a value of around CZK3.4bn ($172.3m).

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The trams with new battery-powered catenary-free drives will enable the vehicles to move independently of the traction wiring with a range of 3km.

Škoda will use high-performance batteries with nano-lithium-titanium technology, which can be recharged during tram operation under the tramcar in just a few minutes.

Škoda Transportation senior vice-president Zal Shahbaz said: "Moreover, by developing and manufacturing a catenary-free tram, we confirmed, one more time that we are able to meet the short customer delivery schedule, combining the latest ‘nano-lithium-titanium’ battery technology and competitive solutions."

The catenary-free trams will be delivered in 2015 and will be operated on a new line, which has a 1.8km long section without catenary wiring.

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The first 60 ForCity Classic trams have been tested on the trial track on the Škoda premises in Plzen in the presence of a certified representative from the Railroad Research Institute (VUZ).

Škoda Transportation Electric product manager Milan Šrámek said: "The tram managed to accelerate 30 times to 30km/h for a total of 8km without recharging. The ‘catenary-free’ solution of Škoda means that, in practice, the tram has a range of 3km without power from the pantograph at the speed of up to 30km/h."

Image: The ForCity Classic tram from the first series of 60 units on the Škoda premises in Plzen. Photo: courtesy of Škoda Transportation.

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