Reaping rewards of upgraded trams
Nine trams in Craiova have been upgraded with the chopper-based system and have resulted in a 30 percent reduction in energy consumption.
Public transport by tram provides results in increased capacity and an efficient mobility option for passengers. Given the increasing demand for mobility in the city of Craiova, one of the CIVITAS MODERN initiatives focuses on increasing the sustainability of the tram fleet. Nine trams belonging to the public transport company fleet were upgraded within CIVITAS MODERN project with a chopper-based system which allows the optimisation of the energy consumption. These trams have been already in use for several months and are being continuously monitored. Thus far the new equipment has not registered any problems. In accordance with the implementation plan, the nine trams are currently under the evaluation process. The main indicator is the analysis of the energy consumption. This indicator was identified after the trams entered into operation and expects about a 30 percent reduction. In order to reach the proposed objective of “up to 40 percent”, the decrease of the energy consumption by a rational use of auxiliary services should be accentuated as well as the reactive energy consumption. This would ultimately lead to lower costs, a lower pollution of the national power network, and a lower report price / travel. The main indicators considered in the evaluation process are presented in the synthetic table. As shown in the table, the indicators recorded are showing a positive evolution - as originally expected. The chopper solution has been promoted in the neighboring countries: Bulgaria, Slovakia, Albania and Macedonia during events, economic missions and/or partnerships between cities. Following to these efforts, the public transport company from Pleven, Bulgaria and the Pleven municipality decided to adopt it. They are applying this solution to their trolley fleet to reduce energy consumption. The public transport company from Pleven has already made an assessment of costs and developed a first draft implementation plan for the new system.
