Kinki Sharyo SLRV
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| Kinki Sharyo SLRV | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| In service | 1996–present |
| Manufacturer | Kinki Sharyo |
| Constructed | 1995–2013 |
| Entered service | June 14, 1996 |
| Refurbished | 2008–2010 |
| Number built | 163 |
| Capacity | 94 passengers (seated), 274 (crush load) per car[1] |
| Operator | DART |
| Line served | All DART Light Rail lines |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | LAHT |
| Train length | 494 ft (150,572 mm) |
| Car length | 123.5 ft (37,643 mm) |
| Width | 8.83 ft (2,692.4 mm) |
| Height | 12.5 ft (3.81 m) |
| Floor height |
|
| Platform height | 16 in (406 mm) |
| Entry | Level boarding and steps |
| Doors | Sliding pocket type; 5 per side[2] |
| Articulated sections | 3 (two articulations) |
| Wheel diameter | 28.0 in (711 mm) |
| Wheelbase |
|
| Maximum speed | 70 mph (112 km/h) |
| Weight | 140,000 lb (64 t) |
| Traction system |
|
| Traction motors | 4 × 3-phase AC induction motor
|
| Power output |
|
| Acceleration | 2.3 mph/s (1.0 m/s2) |
| Deceleration | 3 mph/s (1.3 m/s2) |
| Electric systems | Overhead line, 750 V DC |
| Current collection | Pantograph |
| UIC classification | Bo′(2)′(2)′Bo′ |
| AAR wheel arrangement | B-2-2-B |
| Minimum turning radius | 82 ft (25 m) |
| Coupling system | Tomlinson/Wabtec |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Notes/references | |
| [1] | |
The Kinki Sharyo Super Light Rail Vehicle (SLRV) is a light rail vehicle manufactured by Kinki Sharyo, operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), and modified jointly by the two companies.[3][4]
The SLRVs are longer and can accommodate more passengers than the Kinki Sharyo-built vehicles from which they were developed, known by DART as its standard Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs),[3] which had been operated by DART rail since it began service in June 1996.[5] DART's original LRVs were built as articulated, two-section cars with operator cabs at both ends.[4]
The SLRVs were designed to both increase passenger capacity and to improve the accessibility of DART's light rail system.[6] Each three-section, articulated SLRV measures 123.5 feet (37,643 millimeters) over couplers, while the maximum train length is four articulated cars coupled together, measuring 494 feet (150,572 mm) over couplers in total.[1] An individual SLRV is 31 feet (9.4 m) longer and 33,000 pounds (15,000 kg) heavier than the standard LRVs from which they were developed, which were each 92 feet 8 inches (28.24 m) in length and weighed 107,000 pounds (49,000 kg).[3] The SLRVs have a maximum speed of 70 miles per hour (112 kilometers per hour) and can accelerate at a rate of 2.3 mph per second (1.03 m/s2).[1]
History
DART initially ordered 40 Kinkisharyo LRVs for service on the new Red and Blue lines. These were known as the Fleet 50 (101-140). The next 34 LRVs (141-174) were known as the Fleet 51 and arrived at DART's Central Rail Operations Facility (CROF) in 1998. DART also ordered 21 more LRVs, known as the Fleet 52 (175-195) alongside the Fleet 51s. Somewhere between 2000 and 2005 DART ordered the Fleet 53 (196-215) to complete the original fleet of 115 LRVs before the C Car was added.[7]
Before the C Car was added onto the SLRVs, they ran as two-section LRTs with high floors. People with wheelchairs needed to use wheelchair ramps to get up to the train, which was extremely inconvenient. Thus, DART began to add a third section to go between the end cars, with low floor boarding and spots for wheelchair users.
Partnership
Working in partnership, DART and Kinki Sharyo created the SLRVs by separating the existing two-section LRVs at their articulation joints and inserting an entirely new section in between,[3][8] thereby rendering them three-section vehicles.[9] The resulting SLRVs are double-articulated, eight-axle cars, in comparison to the single-articulated, six-axle design of the original LRVs.[5] Each SLRV seats 98 passengers and can accommodate roughly 100 more standing passengers, which allows it to accommodate approximately 25 more seated people (and roughly 50 more overall) than a standard, two-section LRV.[1][3]
The middle section, variously called "Body C",[4] "C Unit", or "C Car",[10] has a low floor and provides step-free access to the SLRV.[10] It was designed primarily to allow passengers in wheelchairs,[10] as well as those with strollers and bicycles, to embark and disembark more quickly and safely.[3][4] Each SLRV middle section is also equipped with a bicycle rack.[4]
