DART shows off energy-efficient streetcar

Running on batteries

Marci Gilbert, Mar 09, 11.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit demonstrated a new energy-efficient streetcar Tuesday afternoon for city officials and the media, according to a story in The Dallas Morning News:

The ameriTRAM prototype, manufactured by Kinkisharyo, shuttled DART and city leaders back and forth from the Akard and Victory stations while a Kinkisharyo executive explained the benefits of the new streetcar.

DART is developing a plan to create downtown streetcar routes that would complement its larger light-rail system. The city secured a $23 million grant last year to help finance the project.

Kinkisharyo vice president and general manager Rainer Hombach told a group of passengers, including Dallas City Council member Linda Koop, that the vehicle would save on installation costs because it can operate without overhead cables.

The streetcar runs on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and can travel about five miles before recharging for six to eight minutes, Hombach said. The ameriTRAM also recycles energy by channeling braking energy back into the battery.

Source: Dallas Morning News