Category: Bus News (Page 2 of 2)

KiwiRail Announces New Auckland Southern Station Locations

February 12, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

KiwiRail and the Supporting Growth Alliance (Auckland Transport and Waka Kotahi) have today confirmed their proposed sites for three new stations in southern Auckland and will now begin more detailed consultation with stakeholders about their development.

Over the next 30 years, an extra 120,000 people are expected to live in the area, which will also have 40,000 new houses and 38,000 new jobs. The development of the new stations and their associated facilities will be staged over time to coincide with demands from developments feeding each location.

KiwiRail has been given funding through the Government’s NZ Upgrade Programme for the first phase of development.

The locations for the new stations are designed to maximise connections with future town centres, new housing, and other public transport routes.

The aim is ensure the wider area has a robust public transport system to enable long-term housing and business growth. Other factors considered included the existing railway track alignment, the distance between stations, and environmental and ecological features.

The fully developed stations will have a bus interchange and Park & Ride facilities along with other infrastructure. We are working to confirm the exact footprint which will be needed for the associated facilities for the fully developed stations and will then begin the process of protecting the land.

Waka Kotahi National Manager System Design Robyn Elston says: “We are focusing on how longer-term road and rail projects can give people more connected public transport choices and help them move around safely and easily. We’re looking forward to talking to communities about how to make these projects happen.”

The planned railway stations are part of the $2.39 billion of transport improvements in southern Auckland that Waka Kotahi and KiwiRail are delivering as part of the Government’s New Zealand Upgrade Programme.

Other improvements will include SH1 Papakura to Drury South, Mill Road and Papakura to Pukekohe rail electrification. They are part of a longer term transport network being investigated and delivered to support growth in south Auckland.

Public information sessions on the rail developments in Southern Auckland are being held in Drury on February 18th and Pukekohe on February 20th.

The proposed locations for the three stations are:

Drury Central will be located on the existing rail line south of Waihoehoe Road, between Flanagan and Great South Roads.

Drury West will be located on the existing rail line, about 450 m south of the existing intersection of SH22 / Karaka Road and Jesmond Road.

Paerata will be located on the existing rail line, adjacent to the planned eastern extent of the Paerata Rise development.

Lufthansa Innovation Hub Spins-Off Startup RYDES

February 11, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

The Lufthansa Innovation Hub, the central digitalization unit of the Lufthansa Group, spins-off the startup RYDES. Forward31, the company builder of Porsche Digital, is contributing with its expertise and resources to the venture. Both Porsche and the Lufthansa Group are now strategic minority shareholders in the startup.

“The spin-off and subsequent funding from RYDES has been a great success. Once again, we are proving that startups from corporate digital units can adapt to market conditions. With Forward31, Porsche’s company builder, we have gained an important strategic partner that shares and further enhances our vision of a seamless mobility chain,” says Gleb Tritus, Managing Director Lufthansa Innovation Hub.

“The Lufthansa Innovation Hub is an authority on the development of new business models. Together with such a strong partner and the founding team, we look forward to continuing the successful development of RYDES in the future,” says Christian Knörle, Head of Company Building at Porsche Digital.

The aim of RYDES is to redefine and simplify access to modern mobility. For this purpose, the startup bundles existing mobility offers in one app and makes them accessible via the “Mobility Budget”. The new product allows companies to provide their employees with a monthly budget that they can use for various mobility services. These include car and bike sharing services, e-scooters, shared taxis, and public transport services. The different mobility providers are integrated into the RYDES app and users can use the app to book their trips and manage their budget. All journeys booked through RYDES are offset via the “Compensaid” platform and therefore CO₂ neutral.

One-stop shop for mobility as B2B offer

RYDES focuses on companies that want to offer mobility to their employees as an additional benefit. In this way, RYDES is also meeting the demand for mobility services that is emerging in the context of “new work” and the trend towards flexible and decentralized employment. RYDES’ first customer is the flex-office provider WeWork. Companies and freelancers who have a membership with WeWork can use the RYDES offer. WeWork will make the offer available as soon as possible under the relevant Corona guidelines.

The “Mobility Budget” will initially be available in German-speaking countries. In order to drive further growth as well as the startup’s internationalization, Martin Miodownik is expanding the founding team. Martin Miodownik’s who was employee number one at GetYourGuide later assumed the role of VP Global Sales. In this position, he was responsible for the global expansion of the Berlin-based unicorn.

RYDES was founded in 2018 as part of the Lufthansa Innovation Hub. The company’s initial business idea focused on developing a loyalty program that rewards people for using different mobility services. With the ‘Mobility Budget’, RYDES now goes one step further and combines the booking of services in one app, making travel much more convenient.

Alstom Aptis eBus Incorporated to Aranjuez City Urban Fleet

February 9, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

9 February 2021 – The Aranjuez city local operator AISA, jointly with Consorcio Regional de Transportes de la Comunidad de Madrid (Madrid Regional mobility services Consortium), has incorporated the innovative Alstom Aptis ebus into its urban vehicles fleet. This new vehicle has started commercial services on the line 2, that runs across the centre of the historical and world heritage city. Aranjuez thus becomes the first municipality in the Community of Madrid (not considering the capital) to incorporate a 100% high capacity electric vehicle into the Regional Mobility Services Consortium.

During last year tests, the ebus has already demonstrated its adaptability, efficiency and perfect integration, both with the urban environment of the municipality and with the rest of the operator’s fleet.

Thanks to its innovative design, Aptis offers an unparalleled passenger experience. Its berthing system for perfect alignment with the pavement, its low, completely flat floor and wide double doors allow easy movement and convenient boarding for people with reduced mobility and prams. Equipped with large bay windows along its entire length, Aptis offers 25% more glass surface area than a standard bus and a rear seating area with panoramic views of the city. With a length of 12 metres and equipped with 3 doors, Aptis has capacity for close to 100 passengers, including 2 PMR.

Aptis is 100% electric, so in addition to decarbonising and protecting the environment, it takes care of the architecture and monuments of Aranjuez, an Unesco World Heritage Site. With a range of more than 200 km, the vehicle requested by AISA is designed for charging at night at the depot with a innovative charging system provided by Endesa X.

Aptis was designed to have an optimised total cost. This is possible thanks to reduced maintenance and operating costs and a longer service life compared to standard buses. For local authorities, this low total cost per seat is a great help in their effort to decarbonise urban transport.

Hamburger Hochbahn AG Innovationslinie 19.02.2015 Fotograf: Marc-Oliver Schulz 0170-3108004 mail@moschulz.de Hamburger Hochbahn AG Innovationslinie 19.02.2015 Fotograf: Marc-Oliver Schulz 0170-3108004 mail@moschulz.de

First Order Placed With Solaris to Supply 530 Electric Buses to Hamburg

December 31, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Hamburger Hochbahn, one of the largest public transport operators in Germany, issued a tender this year for the supply of 530 twelve and eighteen metre-long (articulated) electric buses. In August, three candidate manufacturers were selected, one of these being the CAF Group subsidiary. The framework agreement establishes tranche orders for the vehicles over the next 5 years until completing the delivery of the aforementioned total of 530 vehicles.

Solaris received its first firm order for units under the framework agreement, specifically 5 12- metre and 5 18-metre e-buses, which will be delivered to Hamburg in October 2021.

The two selected electric models, the Urbino 12 and the Urbino 18 belong to Solaris’ range of emission-free and extremely low-noise vehicles. Both vehicles will be equipped with Solaris High Energy + high-capacity batteries, integrated axle drive motors and also featuring plug-in charging devices for availability ranges of up to several hundred kilometres on a single charge.

The vehicles will also be equipped with temperature pre-conditioning to guarantee optimal vehicle temperatures during battery charging, as well as a variety of solutions to promote safety, such as a blind spot monitor system that warns the driver when pedestrians or cyclists are in the vicinity of the vehicle. In terms of capacity, the Solaris Urbino 12 model can carry up to 70 passengers whilst the articulated vehicles offer 107 passenger places, guaranteeing maximum driver and passenger comfort during service.

Alstom Delivers its First Series Electric Bus to Strasbourg

January 31, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Alstom is delivering the very first 100% electric Aptis bus to Strasbourg transport operator Compagnie des Transports Strasbourgeois (CTS). This constitutes a major new step for Alstom, which aims to be the most innovative world actor for sustainable, smart mobility. Following the groundbreaking delivery, CTS will train 150 drivers in the operation of the new vehicles. During this initial training phase, the bus will run on the streets of Strasbourg with the livery that the Aptis fleet will adopt when in high-level service on the H line. With a length of 12 metres and equipped with 3 doors, Aptis buses were designed at the Hangenbieten Eurométropolis. They are the first electric buses to join CTS’s fleet of vehicles.

The vehicles requested by the city of Strasbourg are designed for slow charging at night at the depot. Aptis is also available for occasional recharging at the end of each line, using either ground-based charging solutions (SRS) or pantograph charging. Aptis was designed to have an optimised total cost. This is possible thanks to reduced maintenance and operating costs and a longer service life than that of standard buses. The aim for local authorities, therefore, is to have a total cost equivalent to that of existing standard diesel buses.

Aptis was also chosen by RATP and Île-de-France Mobilités, and by the areas of Greater Grenoble, Greater La Rochelle, and Greater Toulon, where commercial operations are due this year. As of September 2018, Aptis is also referenced by the CATP for public purchasing by local authorities. This referencing allows member authorities to order Aptis vehicles directly and simply from the CATP without having to embark on long and costly procedures.

Aptis also received the Origine France Garantie in January 2019. The certificate guarantees that at least 50% of Aptis’s value is French.

Design, production and testing will be carried out at Aptis Alstom’s site of Hangenbieten, in Alsace. Six other Alstom sites in France are involved in the design and manufacture of Aptis: Reichshoffen for the flanks, Saint-Ouen for the system integration, Tarbes for the traction, Ornans for the motors and Villeurbanne for the electronic components of the traction chain. Finally, Alstom’s site in Vitrolles is developing one of the charging solutions (SRS).

Alstom Presents First Aptis Serial Vehicle at Busworld 2019

October 14, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

14 October 2019 – Alstom will present the first serial vehicle of its Aptis electric bus at Busworld 2019, being held in Brussels from 17 to 23 October. After the four prototypes that have been on the roads of many French and European cities for the past two years, this new design incorporates feedback from passengers and transport operators.

This first serial vehicle is based on an optimised global architecture requiring fewer spare parts references and considerably facilitating maintenance operations. Thanks to a wheel steering angle of more than 40°, its ease of insertion increases significantly. The 15% reduction in the total weight of the vehicle, combined with the use of new, more efficient and state of the art batteries, substantially increases range. Aptis now accommodates more passengers while still offering them more fluidity thanks to large sliding doors.

In addition to the technical improvements, Aptis can also boast significant improvements to passenger comfort. A new air-conditioning system that (fully electrical heat-pump) maximises thermal comfort and the panoramic rear lounge has been enhanced to give a feeling of increased space. The new hydraulic suspension allows superior comfort and sound insulation, making Aptis one of the quietest and most innovative buses on the market.

“Alstom and its teams are very proud to be presenting the first series version of Aptis. This concentration of innovations perfectly represents what we always envisaged the production version of the 100% electric mobility solution would be. This clean, green bus, with its elegant design and optimised technical performance, will offer a new experience to passengers and drivers while meeting the new mobility challenges of urban areas,” underlines Benjamin Bailly, head of Alstom’s electric bus platform.

Aptis has already been chosen by Paris in the context of Europe’s largest call for tender for electric buses, as well as by the cities of Strasbourg, Grenoble, La Rochelle and Toulon. Upcoming milestones include ongoing tests in Spain with the ground-based recharge solution SRS and the training of hundreds of drivers in a new driving experience ahead of the first traffic releases, scheduled for the end of the year in Strasbourg.

Manufacturing and testing of Aptis will be carried out at Alstom’s two sites in Alsace. The Hangenbieten site oversees manufacturing of the end modules (driver’s cab and rear lounge). Manufacturing of the central passenger module, final assembly and tests will be carried out at the Reichshoffen site. This scheme will allow serial production from the end of 2019 onwards. Five other Alstom sites in France contribute to the design and manufacture of Aptis: Saint-Ouen for system integration, Tarbes for traction, Ornans for engines, Villeurbanne for electronic components of the traction chain.

In order to complete Alstom’s vison of road electromobility, exhibited alongside Aptis at Busworld will also be SRS, a completely safe, ground-level, conductive, static recharge system allowing the charging of buses along their route or within depots. As a ground-based solution, it eliminates the need for overhead infrastructure in cities, preserving the aesthetics of the urban landscape. In depots, SRS avoids the infrastructure costs associated with overhead charging systems. SRS for e-buses is based on Alstom’s SRS static recharge technology for trams, a proven solution already in operation in Nice, France. It is developed at Alstom’s Vitrolles site.