Vienna tests energy saving tram

Vienna public transport operator Wiener Linien is testing an energy saving tram, the EcoTram, using it in daily operation until May 2014. The tram is part of a bigger project to make public transport vehicles more energy efficient. A Siemens ultra low floor tram has been equipped with intelligent control units that predict whether cooling or heating will be required. If the tram enters a tunnel where the ambient temperature is cooler, the air-conditioning will be turned down. The units control three air
August 21, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Vienna EcoTram
Vienna public transport operator 4203 Wiener Linien is testing an energy saving tram, the EcoTram, using it in daily operation until May 2014. The tram is part of a bigger project to make public transport vehicles more energy efficient.

A 189 Siemens ultra low floor tram has been equipped with intelligent control units that predict whether cooling or heating will be required. If the tram enters a tunnel where the ambient temperature is cooler, the air-conditioning will be turned down. The units control three air-conditioning units with heat pumps, a variable-frequency compressor and CO2 sensors. According to Siemens, the tram could offer annual savings of up to 3,000 MWh for tram operator Wiener Linien.

The EcoTram project has been running since 2009, supported by the Climate and Energy Fund of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency as part of its New Energies 2020 programme.

Other project partners include the Automation and Control Institute at Technische Universität Wien, which has developed the control software; Rail Tec Arsenal, which has manufactured the measuring technology; and Vossloh Kiepe, which has supplied the heating and air-conditioning units. Consulting firm SCHIG mbH is the project manager.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Investors point to bright future for micromobility
    January 23, 2020
    Some big names are looking to invest in transportation companies – and this new confidence in the future of MaaS and micromobility indicates a step change, says Ito World’s Johan Herrlin
    Read More
  • EU transport commissioner and Austria's transport minister open TRA 2018
    April 18, 2018
    EU transport commissioner Violeta Bulc and Austria's transport minister Norbert Hofert have opened transport research conference TRA 2018, on 16 April. Both highlighted the importance of digitalisation and decarbonisation for the Vienna-based conference and transport research. The event features a theme of A Digital Era for Transport - solutions for society, economy and environment. At the opening, Gerd Leonhard, futurist, humanist, author and chief executive officer of The Futures Agency presented the
    Read More
  • ETSC welcomes EU plans for safer cars, vans and lorries
    December 20, 2016
    The European Commission has published a list of 19 lifesaving safety technologies that could be made mandatory on new vehicles in the next update of EU vehicle safety rules expected next year. The European Transport Safety Council (ETCS) welcomes the announcement but says several critical areas for action are missing, and the proposed timescale is far too long considering that most of the technologies are already available. ETSC says 26,000 people die on European Union roads annually, with at least
    Read More
  • Australia and Michigan to develop safer roads and vehicle technology
    October 10, 2018
    The Australian government and the US state of Michigan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop vehicle and road systems to help improve road safety. Michael McCormack, deputy prime minister and minister for infrastructure, transport and regional development, says the agreement is part of a strategy to position Australia for safer roads through automated and connected vehicles. “This is just one way the government is promoting safer vehicles on safer roads, including for our region
    Read More

Highlighted Content