Testing of Alstom’s Citadis Spirit in Ottawa. Photo: courtesy of Alstom.
Dynamic testing has started for Alstom’s Citadis Spirit light rail vehicle (LRV) on the O-Train Confederation Line in Ottawa, Ontario. The LRVs will be tested at the Belfast Yard Storage and Maintenance Facility and along four km of test track.
The trains will undergo various tests, including dynamic testing at speeds of 80 km/h to 100 km/h. Track testing of the vehicles will include traction and braking performance, train behavior, and comfort and performance of the bogies. Static testing will take place at Belfast Yard to validate function performance, including HVAC, doors, lighting, passenger information and on board data systems. More than 50 test procedures will be completed in this phase of testing, which will run until the end of March 2017. Upon completion of this first series of tests, more than a dozen tests will be conducted on a multiple unit train, with two trains coupled together.
Alstom is supplying 34 Citadis Spirit LRVs for the O-Train Confederation Line, which will be run by OC Transpo, the urban transit service of the City of Ottawa. Alstom will maintain the vehicles and the line’s infrastructure for a period of 30 years. The first phase of the O-Train Confederation Line comprises 13 stations along a 12.5-kilometre route, with 10 kilometers running at ground level and 2.5 kilometers underground. The line is expected to begin full revenue service in 2018.
Witnessing the train’s first tests were Member of Parliament for Ottawa South David McGuinty, on behalf of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, the Honorable Amarjeet Sohi; Provincial Minister of Transportation and Member of Provincial Parliament for Vaughan, the Honorable Steven Del Duca; City of Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson; Managing Director for Alstom in Canada Angelo Guercioni; and other dignitaries.
“The commencement of dynamic testing marks the first 100% low floor vehicle to enter validation testing in Ontario and brings the Citadis Spirit one step closer to the start of commercial service in the City of Ottawa,” said Guercioni. “This rigorous testing of the trains will ensure smooth and safe operation for both the operators and passengers alike.”
The Citadis Spirit is based on Alstom’s Citadis range of LRVs and is customized for the needs of the North American market, including operation in temperatures as low as -38°C. The Citadis Spirit features a 100 percent low floor design, offering easy accessibility from the street or the curb, and an interior layout that provides a safer experience. The vehicle can provide both light rail service, including urban service in cities running at grade and in mixed traffic, and suburban service on segregated rail infrastructure at speeds up to 100 km/h.
The Citadis Spirit is being assembled by a local workforce at Belfast Yard with the support of an established supply chain of over 60 Canadian suppliers to meet the 25 percent Canadian content requirement. The Alstom manufacturing facility in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, is assembling the bogies for the vehicles.