Mercedes-Benz buses

Mercedes-Benz has been producing buses since 1895 in Mannheim in Germany. Since 1995, the brand of Mercedes-Benz buses and coaches is under the umbrella of EvoBus GmbH, belonging 100% to the Daimler AG.
Heritage.
The world's first motorised bus was built in Germany by Karl Benz in 1895, some years before Gottlieb Daimler also started to build and sell buses in Germany as well. By 1898 both Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, then rivals, were exporting their buses to Wales and England. Soon Daimler products were sold in the British Empire in a partnership with the British company Milnes. Milnes-Daimler developed a double-decker in 1902 and provided a bus for the first motorised bus service in the United Kingdom the following year. Though the company met success in selling buses throughout the British Empire, the partnership between Daimler and Milnes had to be undone due to the First World War.
Due to economic hardships in the early 1900s, Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie. merged into one company in 1926, two years after both companies signed an agreement of mutual interest. Thus, Daimler-Benz AG (also known as Mercedes-Benz) was formed. In the next year, the company presented its first combined bus range. By that time emphasis was given to diesel engines (as opposed to petrol engines) for commercial vehicles.
In 1951 Mercedes-Benz unveiled its first bus specifically designed for bus operation (and not derived from a lorry, as was the case of the other buses produced by the company until then) – the O6600 H. This 11-metre-long vehicle was equipped with a six-cylinder, transverse-mounted rear engine delivering 145 hp, a lower frame than its predecessors, and an electric gearshift system.
In 1954 Mercedes-Benz unveiled its first semi-integral bus – the O321 H. The semi-integral design meant a reduction in weight, improvements in stability and body resistance. The O321 H also was the first to feature coil springs in the front-axle suspension. This 9.2-metre-long vehicle (a 10.9-metre version was later unveiled) also featured a rear-mounted engine. The first version was available with an output of 110 hp, and a later optional 126-hp version was made available. More than 30,000 units of the O321 H complete bus and its platform were sold around the world, a mark which places it as the best-selling bus of its time and, until today, one of the most successful models by Mercedes-Benz.
Mercedes-Benz do Brasil Ltda. (Buses).
In the year 1951, technicians from Daimler Benz, accompanied by Brazilian specialists, carried out studies to analyse the viability of producing vehicles in Brazil. Two years later, on 7 October 1953, Mercedes-Benz do Brasil was officially founded, having as its first president Alfred Jurzykowski. A plant was then built in São Bernardo do Campo (a city neighbour to São Paulo city) in São Paulo State. On 28 September 1956 the plant was inaugurated in the presence of the then President of Brazil, Juscelino Kubitschek. This date marks the birth of the Brazilian vehicle industry.
Until 1958 only lorries were produced in the Brazilian plant, and local body builders used lorry chassis to make buses. In 1958, the integral bus Mercedes-Benz O321 H also started to the local production, supplying the local market as well as the market of other South American countries (although some Latin-American operators also bought European-made Mercedes-Benz buses). For instance, 550 units of Brazilian-made O321 integral buses were exported to Argentina in 1961, and other 300 units were exported to Venezuela in 1965.
In 1963, a front-engine bus chassis was unveiled, based on the LP 321 lorry. New versions of this chassis as well as new versions of the O 321 integral bus were presented the following year. The first integral bus tailored to the Brazilian market was the O 326, a rear-engine coach unveiled in 1966. It featured the turbo-charged OM 326 engine delivering up to 200 hp. One year later, a new front-engine bus chassis was also unveiled – the LPO 344, also based on a lorry chassis.
In 1969 a new rural- and urban-service bus was presented by Mercedes-Benz do Brasil. Designated O 352, this integral bus was equipped with a direct-injection diesel engine. Two new front-engine chassis were presented that same year – the LPO 1113 and the LPO 1520.
During the 1970s the plant in São Bernardo do Campo was being expanded to meet with the increasing demand for the production of commercial vehicles. By the end of that decade, Mercedes-Benz had produced more than 500,000 commercial vehicles in the Brazilian plant, about 4,000 of which were integral buses.
In 1970, the rear-engine OH 1313 and the front-engine OF 1313 bus chassis were unveiled. One year later, a new integral coach was unveiled – the O 362 – featuring a larger luggage compartment than its predecessor, the O 321. Yet another integral bus was presented by Mercedes-Benz do Brasil – the O 355 – in 1974. The OH 1517 rear-engine chassis was also presented that year. One year after the first three-axle bus was built in Brazil (based on the Mercedes-Benz LPO 1113 front-engine chassis) made its debut in 1977, the new O 364 integral bus was presented by Mercedes-Benz do Brasil in two versions – one with a 130-hp engine, and the other with a 170-hp engine. Also in 1978 the production of the O 362 was discontinued, after more than 35,100 units were produced in Brazil.
Since the demand for buses was growing by that time, a new plant was inaugurated in Campinas (a city in São Paulo State, Brazil), dedicated only for the production of buses. This plant was considered the biggest and most modern plant dedicated for the production of buses in the Western World. Meanwhile, the plant in São Bernardo do Campo was still being expanded.
In 1984 two new integral bus range were presented by Mercedes-Benz do Brasil. One of them was O 370 coach range, available in two- and three-axle versions. It was the first coach range produced by Mercedes-Benz do Brasil fitted with air suspension as standard. The other was the O 365 regular-service bus range. In 1987 the O 370 and O 365 bus ranges were succeeded by the O 371 range (made up by three coaches and three regular-service bus models).
In 1991 the company inaugurates the Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico (or Technological Development Centre in English) in Brazil. This is, until today, the largest of its kind in Latin America. Some of the projects developed by the Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico in Brazil were the natural gas engine M-447 hLAG, used in the natural-gas-powered Citaro, and the cost-effective improvements made in the Axor truck worldwide.
In 1994, Mercedes-Benz do Brasil presented the O 400 integral bus range, which included one standardised city bus, four coaches and the O 400 UPA articulated bus – the first articulated bus produced by Mercedes-Benz in Brazil, which came into production only in 1995. This vehicle featured an electronic-managed articulation developed by the company. In that same year, Mercedes-Benz reached an 85%-share in the commercial vehicles market in Brazil. In the following year, Mercedes-Benz do Brasil received the ISO 9001 and the VBA 6.1 certifications.
In 1996 a new version of the O 371 integral bus for regular-service operation was presented. However, months later Mercedes-Benz announced the end of integral bus production in Brazil. A statement was made in which the company announced it would henceforth focus on the production and development of bus chassis and platforms, and so it occurred. Bus production was relocated in the São Bernardo do Campo plant in 2000, when the Campinas industrial complex was dedicated for activities related to training and overseeing the dealership network in Brazil, parts and accessories distribution and technical assistance.
In 2006 DaimlerChrysler do Brasil unveiled two new articulated modular bus chassis – the O 500 MA (raised floor) and the O 500 UA (low-floor). Both are equipped with a six-cylinder-rear-mounted engine delivering 360 hp as standard. Units of the O 500 articulated bus range were purchased to operate in the BRT systems of Curitiba, São Paulo, Santiago de Chile (Transantiago) and Bogotá (Transmilenio).
Nowadays (2014), under the umbrella of Mercedes-Benz do Brasil Ltda., the bus chassis produced by Mercedes-Benz in Brazil supply the Brazilian market and are exported for countries in the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Amongst the buses produced by Mercedes-Benz in Brazil are the O 500 modular bus chassis series, which includes chassis made for urban and rural applications (available in raised- and low-floor versions) as well as coach chassis, the OH rear-engine bus chassis series, the OF front-engine bus chassis series and the LO mini- and micro-bus chassis series.
Mercedes-Benz Argentina.
In 1951 the then Daimler-Benz AG set up in Argentina its first factories outside Germany: one in the town of San Martín, near Buenos Aires, and another in González Catán on industrial suburbs. The San Martin plant was closed at the end of the 1950s.
Mercedes-Benz released updated local colectivo based on modified L 3500 truck chassis – LO3500, OP3500, LO311, LO312– with a separately manufactured body fitted at a later stage by different coach builders. Also, it is important to note that the LO312 was the first Mercedes-Benz bus front chassis manufactured in Argentina
In 1963 Mercedes built the 10,000th colectivo (model LO312), and continued with other models, such as LO1112, (120 HP), LA1112 4x4 (traction in all wheels) and the LO1114. Due to the family relationship with the truck, the Mercedes-Benz colectivos had a diesel engine with power transmitted to the rear axle by a five-speed constant-mesh gearbox.
In 1967, manufacture of the middle-distance buses of self-supporting platform O120 began. In 1968 the O120 was replaced by the model O140 with a 130-hp engine.
With the L 608D, in 1970 was made in the Virrey del Pino factory the bus version: the LO 608D (until mid-1980s) and the LFu 608 variant.
In 1977, mass production of chassis for buses and buses with power steering began. Manufacturing of the LO914 and the O170, the successor to the O140 model with the OM 352 A supercharged engine with 156 hp and reinforced axles and suspension, also started.
In 1979, the company began the production of the bus chassis, front model, OC 1214, using the OM 352 engine like the LO 1114 bus.
In 1981, with some success, the OH 1419 bus was introduced and made in Argentina.
In 1982, the company built the first bus powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) in Argentina and launched two new models: the front-engine OF 1114 (not available in Argentina, just for export markets only, like Perú) and the OF 1214, with a front engine. Also introduced was a new line of vehicles for urban transport of passengers, automatic transmission for the LO1114, the new front chassis and bus chassis rear engine OH 1314, with and without automatic transmission.
Series production of the LO 1114 with automatic gearbox began and joined the air brake system on the Mercedes-Benz model LO 1114.
In 1987, Mercedes-Benz Argentina revolutionized the public transportation of passengers by launching the new line of rear-engined front-side bus (the "OH"), which replaced traditional front motor buses. With also the OH 1318 and OH 1418.
For the first years of the 1990s, arrives the buses of the O-series likes the O 373 RSD (324 units built), the O 374 RSD (72 units built) and the O 400 RSD (61 units built) for the long-distance bus routes and also the OH 1522 (333 units built) and the OH 1526 (98 units built). All made in the factory of González Catán until 1995. In 1994, start the assembly of the OF 1620 with the 200HP diesel engine with 6606 units made and large used in the provinces like Santa Fe, Jujuy and others.
For the urban buses, the OHL series added with the production line in 1990 with this models: OH/OHL 1316, OH/OHL 1320 and the OH/OHL 1420 with success in the urban transport.
In 1997, the argentinian market receive the local-made OH 1521L-Sb, OH 1621 L and in 1999 OH 1721L-Sb.
After the 2001 crisis, develops many "colectivos" like the OH 1115 and OH 1315 (except the case in 2002, when industrialized the production of the OH 1721, a bus with a 210HP engine), medium urban buses with a 150 HP engine. This models made and sold until 2008, replaced in 2009 by the new OH 1618L-Sb and the OH 1718, a local develop for Mercedes-Benz Argentina under the chassis of the OH 1618.
The OH 1618 is ready to meet the highest requirements on emissions, Euro 3, 4 and 5. Has the renowned Mercedes-Benz OM 904 LA Euro 3 of a high torque: 675 Nm, a power of 177 hp DIN. The engine electronic management and 3 valves per cylinder, with the optional Top Brake system to improve vehicle efficiency and durability of the brake system. Optionally provides two types of gearbox: automatic and mechanical.
The front and rear axles are developed, tested and manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, especially technology adopted and adapted to the needs of passenger transport: low velocity, starting and numerous arrests per kilometer, with extensive use of systems Brake and manageability of the unit.
Also in 2008, when the OF 1417 stopped the production and the OF 1418 are a popular chassis bus, Mercedes-Benz Argentina S.A. determine the assembly of the mentioned OF 1418 until 2015.
Today it builds modern-style buses and several models of bus chassis and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter delivery vans, chassis cabs and minibuses with a large slice of them being exported to Germany. Mercedes-Benz commuter and touring buses are not necessarily up to European counterparts but robust enough to handle heavy urban usage and some of Argentina's rugged backcountry and extra long-distance travel. For 2012, was return the production of the Sprinter NCV3, the successor of the T1N with many Argentinian-made parts and it's exported to the Mercosur, South Africa and other markets.
In 2013, announced the assembly of the minibus LO 915 in the Virrey del Pino plant with the high floor rear engine (OH) chassis OH 1518 previously imported from Brazil the two models. Also, other models like the OF 1722 were nazionalizated for argentinian market.
Since November 2015, announced the new local-made models, like the OH 1621 and OH 1721. All are involved in the Euro V emission standards, obligatory since January 2016.
Other models under the Euro V standard are the OF 1519, OF 1621 and OF 1721 and OF 1724.
Mercedes-Benz Türk.
Daimler AG is currently manufacturing buses and coaches under the Mercedes-Benz brand in Turkey. Mercedes-Benz Türk was established in Istanbul in 1967 as Otomarsan, and it started the production of the O 302 type buses in 1968.
In 1970, only two years after its foundation, the company started to export buses, over 12,600 buses being exported to date. In 1984, the company was appointed as the general representative of Mercedes-Benz in Turkey, added with new partners to the enterprise, and started a new investment necessary for production of trucks. In 1986, parallel to the growth potential of Turkey, the truck plant started production in Aksaray. In November 1990, the company name was changed to Mercedes-Benz Türk A.Ş.
The company is one of the biggest foreign direct investments in Turkey (with a total investment volume of €807 million) and employs more than 5.000 personnel. Due to increasing export activities, Mercedes-Benz Türk built a new bus plant in Hoşdere, Istanbul, which became active in December 1994.
Since its foundation, Mercedes-Benz Türk has sold more than 75,000 buses (from Hoşdere only), 215,000 trucks and 1,000 midibuses from its own production, in addition to 20,000 cars since 1989, when the company started the importation of passenger cars. Mercedes-Benz Türk currently produces intercity (the Travego, Intouro and Tourismo) and municipality buses (the Conecto) at the Hoşdere, Istanbul plant, and light and heavy duty trucks (MB800, Actros, Axor, Atego, and the Unimog) at the Aksaray plant.
Mercedes-Benz Türk is the first company in the Turkish primary automotive industry to get the ISO 9002 quality certificate, obtained in 1994 for the Aksaray plant, and ISO 9001 quality certificate, obtained in 1995 for the Davutpaşa, Istanbul and Hoşdere, Istanbul production plants.
Furthermore, Mercedes-Benz Türk has the certificate ISO 14001 for environment management standards since May 2000 and the certificates ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 16949 since March 2002.
Mercedes-Benz and the VÖV.
During the 1960s, the Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen (or German Association for Public Transport Operations in English) conducted a project of a highly standardised and specialised bus, to improve the quality, simplify the maintenance and reduce the production costs of buses in Germany – the VÖV-I. Based on the recommendations provided by the VDV, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the O305 regular-service bus in 1967. In 1973 the rural-service bus O307 was presented. It was based on the O305 and also conceived in line with the standards set by the VDV. In 1977, Mercedes-Benz presented a 17-metre-long articulated version of the O305 (the O305 G), featuring a rear-mounted engine.
By the end of the 1970s the project was improved and a VÖV-II standardised bus range was presented. Mercedes-Benz again took part in the project and in 1980 presented the "S80" standardised regular-service bus. After minor changes were made, the Mercedes-Benz S80 came into production in 1984 as the O405, succeeding the O305. In the following year, an articulated (O405 G) and a rural-service version (O407) were unveiled.
EvoBus.
In 1995 Daimler-Benz Bus and Coach range and Kässbohrer Bus Division were combined to form the EvoBus GmbH. Both Mercedes-Benz and Setra continued to operate separately on the market for some time.
One year later EvoBus was formed, the first of a new bus range from Mercedes-Benz was presented – the Integro (O550) rural-service bus, later joined by a three-axle 15-metre version. Besides the Integro, EvoBus also presented the Mercedes-Benz O405 NÜL (twin-axle long low-floor rural-service bus), O405 NK (compact city bus) and the Innovisia (an improved version of the O404). The Innovisia was the first bus to be equipped with an ABC suspension system. Shortly after the Citaro urban-service low-floor bus was unveiled. It was the first urban bus equipped with CAN data bus.
Coordinated production between Setra and Mercedes-Benz started in 1997. New versions of the Citaro low-floor bus were presented that year, including a 15-metre three-axle version and an 18-metre articulated version. In 1998 the new Mercedes-Benz Tourismo (O350) was presented in a super-high-deck version with three-axles, based on the O404 coach chassis. The O404 integral bus was succeeded by the Travego in 1999. The Travego was available either with a six-cylinder in-line engine (initially delivering 354 and 408 hp) or with a V8 engine (delivering 476 hp).
In the 17th edition of the Bus World exposition in Kortrijk (Belgium), Mercedes-Benz officially unveiled the Tourino – a 9,3-metre coach featuring automatic air suspension, disc brakes, ABS, EBS and ASR systems. There were two engine options (245 hp/279 hp), both six-cylinder rear-mounted engine.
The Citaro, Travego and Integro range were redeveloped by the end of 2005, and the CapaCity – a four-axle articulated low-floor bus 19.54-metre long – was unveiled in 2006. Also in 2006 the Tourismo was redeveloped, and a 14-metre version was presented. Amongst the innovations incorporated to the new Tourismo are the new engine output available (354 hp/408 hp/428 hp) and the new-generation transmissions available with EPS system.
Currently Mercedes-Benz concentrates the integral bus production in Germany and Turkey, and chassis production in Spain and Brazil. There are other manufacturing basis around the world, such as the ones in France and Argentina.
Polomex.
A joint-venture between Mercedes-Benz and Brazilian coachbuilder Marcopolo resulted in the formation of Polomex. The company assembles and sells urban buses and coaches with Mercedes-Benz chassis and Marcopolo body in Mexico. The coach range includes the Multego, a luxury coach based on the Mercedes-Benz OC500 modular bus chassis. The body, produced by Marcopolo, features a design similar to that of Mercedes-Benz Travego.
Alternative drive.
The earliest cited alternative-drive bus sold by Mercedes-Benz is the O6600 T, a trolleybus based on the O6600 H diesel bus. In the early 1950s, 350 German-made Mercedes-Benz trolleybuses were exported to Argentina.
Nonetheless, Mercedes-Benz engaged in intensive research and development of alternative propulsion systems in the 1960s. In 1969 the brand presented the OE302 electric bus. Two years later, a natural-gas-fuelled version of the O305 was unveiled, and in 1975 the OE302 duo bus went into trial operation in Esslingen, Germany. A minibus operated on pure hydrogen was demonstrated in 1977. In 1978 the hybrid electric OE305 was presented. The same year Mercedes-Benz do Brasil presented the OF-1315 front engine natural-gas-fuelled bus chassis for the Brazilian market. Other five duo buses went into trial operation in Esslingen the following year, two of them in battery/trolley operation and the other three in diesel/trolley operation. Also in 1979, Daimler-Benz sent a German-built O305 trolleybus to be tested on the São Paulo trolleybus system, Brazil, then one of the most extensive trolleybus systems in the western world. The O305 GT trolleybus would go into production in 1981. Also in 1981 a methanol-fuelled O305 was unveiled.
In 1983 methanol-drive Mercedes-Benz buses were tested in São Paulo, Brazil. Some time later, 40 natural-gas-fuelled Mercedes-Benz O364 rear-engine integral buses went into experimental operation in that city. Two of them used a mixture of soy oil, ethanol and B-Diesel as fuel. In the following year Mercedes-Benz do Brasil unveil the OH-1315, a natural-gas-fuelled rear-engine bus chassis, and the O371 integral bus range for the Brazilian market, including a natural-gas integral urban bus and a trolleybus. In 1986 experiments were made in Europe with an articulated duo bus (diesel/electric) based on the O405. The O405 trolleybus was presented in that same year.
In 1984, a trial was carried out with a four O305 buses already in use in Auckland, New Zealand, with two powered by liquid petroleum gas and two powered by compressed natural gas (CNG). At the same time, two Volvo B10M buses were converted to run on methanol. All six, as well as a further 50 O303 and O305 buses, were all put onto CNG. Auckland City had a fleet of one hundred O303 buses and three hundred O305 buses.
In the 1990s three new natural-gas-powered models were unveiled by Mercedes-Benz: the O405 GN GNG low-floor articulated bus, which was Europe's first natural gas low-floor city bus; the O405 NG solo city bus and the O405 ÜNG for rural service. All models were fitted with the M-447 hG engine that was exported from Brazil.
In 1994 a prototype of a low-floor articulated duo bus based on the O405 – the O405 GNTD – was presented, featuring electric hub motors.
In 1996 the OH-1315 natural-gas bus chassis is succeeded by the OH-1621 LG, also natural-gas-powered. One year later, the OH-1621 LG was equipped with an electronic-managed engine as standard.
In 1997 Daimler-Benz presented its first fuel-cell bus, designated NEBUS (New Electric Bus), based on the O405 urban bus. It was the world's first fully operational fuel-cell-powered bus. Another fuel-cell-powered was developed later, based on the Citaro. Exemplars of the Citaro Fuel Cell bus are currently being tested in Europe, China and Australia.
In 1998, the Cito (a diesel-electric midibus) was unveiled, featuring the low-floor concept.
In 2000, Mercedes-Benz do Brasil delivered the first 56 model M-447 hLAG turbocharged natural gas engines to the city of Hannover in Germany fitted to specially-designed Citaro citybuses for EXPO 2000. Subsequently, this engine has sold in larger numbers compared to the previous M-447 hG engine, with over 600 ordered by Australian bus operators alone.


Passenger rail terminology

Various terms are used for passenger railway lines and equipment; the usage of these terms differs substantially between areas:
Rapid transit.
A rapid transit system is an electric railway characterized by high speed (~) and rapid acceleration. It uses passenger railcars operating singly or in multiple unit trains on fixed rails. It operates on separate rights-of-way from which all other vehicular and foot traffic are excluded (i.e. is fully grade-separated from other traffic). It uses sophisticated signaling systems, and high platform loading.
Originally, the term rapid transit was used in the 1800s to describe new forms of quick urban public transportation that had a right-of-way separated from street traffic. This set rapid transit apart from horsecars, trams, streetcars, omnibuses, and other forms of public transport. A variant of the term, mass rapid transit (MRT), is also used for metro systems in Southeast Asia and Taiwan.
Though the term was almost always used to describe rail transportation, other forms of transit were sometimes described by their proponents as rapid transit, including local ferries in some cases.
The term "bus rapid transit" has recently come into use to describe bus lines with features to speed their operation. These usually have more characteristics of light rail than rapid transit.
Metro / Subway.
Metros, short for metropolitan railways, are defined by the International Association of Public Transport (L'Union Internationale des Transports Publics, or UITP) as urban guided transport systems "operated on their own right of way and segregated from general road and pedestrian traffic. They are consequently designed for operations in tunnel, viaducts or on surface level but with physical separation in such a way that inadvertent access is not possible. In different parts of the world, Metro systems are also known in English as the underground, the subway or the tube. Rail systems with specific construction issues operating on a segregated guideway (e.g. monorail, rack railways) are also treated as Metros as long as they are designated as part of the urban public transport network." Metropolitan railways are used for high capacity public transportation. They can operate in trains of up to 10 cars, carrying 1800 passengers or more. Some metro systems run on rubber tires but are based on the same fixed-guideway principles as steel wheel systems.
Paris, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Warsaw, Saint Petersburg, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Moscow all have metro (from the word metropolitan where "metro" means "mother" and "politan" means "city") systems which are called metro in French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Dutch, and Russian.
Subway used in a transit sense refers to a rapid transit heavy rail system that goes underground. The term may refer only to the underground parts of the system, or to the full system. "Subway" is most commonly used in the United States and the English-speaking parts of Canada, though the term is also used elsewhere, such as to describe the Glasgow Subway in Scotland, and in translation of system names or descriptions in some Asian and Latin American cities.
In some cities where "subway" is used, it refers to the entire system; in others, only to the portions that actually are underground. Naming practices often select one type of placement in a system where several are used; there are many "subways" with above-ground components, and on the other hand, the Vancouver SkyTrain and Chicago "L" include underground sections. Historic posters referred to Chicago's Red & Blue lines (then called the State Street & Milwaukee/Dearborn lines) as "the subway lines".
Light metro.
Medium-capacity system (MCS), also known as light rapid transit or light metro, is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but less than typical heavy-rail rapid transit.
Sub-Surface Subway.
Some light rail / street car lines that have underground sections that are referred to as subway are often sub surface subways. Notably, Boston's Green Line and the Newark City Subway, each about half underground, originated from fully surface streetcar lines. Also, the Buffalo Metro Rail is referred to as "the subway", while it uses light rail equipment and operates in a pedestrian mall downtown for half of its route and underground for the remaining section. Sometimes the term is qualified, such as in Philadelphia, where trolleys operate in an actual subway for part of their route and on city streets for the remainder. This is locally styled "subway-surface".
When the Boston subway was originally built, the "subway" label was only used for sections into which streetcars (trams) operated, and the rapid transit sections were called "tunnels". Also, in some countries, "subway" refers to systems built under roads and the informal term "tube" is used for the deep-underground tunnelled systems (such as London's Piccadilly line) – in this usage, somewhat technical nowadays and not used much in London, "underground" is regardless the general term for both types of system.
Other Definitions of Subway.
Bus subways are uncommon but do exist, though in these cases the non-underground portions of route are not called subways. Until March 2019, Seattle, Washington had a bus subway downtown in which diesel-electric hybrid buses and light rail trains operated in a shared tunnel. The hybrid buses ran in electrical-only mode while traveling through the tunnel and overhead wires power the light rail trains which continue to operate in the tunnel. Bus subways are sometimes built to provide an exclusive right-of-way for bus rapid transit lines, such as the MBTA Silver Line in Boston. These are usually called by the term "bus rapid transit".
"Subway", outside the US, and especially in Europe, often refers to an underground pedestrian passageway linking large road interconnections that are often too difficult or dangerous to cross at ground level. In Canada, the term "subway" may be used in either sense.
Underground and tube.
The usage of underground is very similar to that of subway, describing an underground train system.
In London the colloquial term tube now refers to the London Underground, and is the most common word used for the underground system; and it is used by Transport for London the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system throughout Greater London. However, strictly speaking, it should only refer to those deep lines which run in bored circular tunnels as opposed to those constructed near to the surface by 'cut-and-cover' methods. The Glasgow metro system is known as the Glasgow Subway or colloquial as "the subway". The word "metro" is not usually used in London or Glasgow to refer to those cities' metros, but it is used in and around Newcastle upon Tyne to refer to the Tyne and Wear Metro.
Overground.
In the UK, the term overground was created in 2007 by Transport for London to refer to a mainly above-ground suburban rail network serving Greater London, the London Overground, which took over Silverlink Metro routes.
U-Bahn and S-Bahn.
The term "metro" is not usually used to describe metro systems in German-speaking areas (Germany, Austria and parts of Switzerland), instead using the term "U-Bahn"—a shortening of "Untergrundbahn", meaning "underground railway"—and S-Bahn—an abbreviation for the German ""Stadtschnellbahn" or just "Schnellbahn"" (fast city train, fast train) the more common English translation, suburban train. So for example in Berlin, the mostly underground system is known as the Berlin U-Bahn and it is integrated with the mostly above-ground system, known as the Berlin S-Bahn. The Frankfurt U-Bahn is an important exception, the system being really a light rail transit system with underground sections.
Hamburg S-Bahn fulfills all criteria for heavy rail inside the state and city of Hamburg, but some lines go beyond the state border into the state of Niedersachsen and there the S-Bahn runs with lower train frequency.
The same applies also to the S-Bahn and U-Bahn in Copenhagen, Denmark, with the only exception that the word "Metro" is used instead of "U-Bahn", and "S-tog" instead of "S-Bahn". (The Danish word "S-tog" applies to the trains ("tog"), rather than the tracks as in Germany; "S-tog" means "S-train".) Otherwise, the S-Bahn of Berlin and the S-tog of Copenhagen are very similar with the exception of the size.
In Switzerland, where there is only one underground railway system in Lausanne, the term metro is generally used, due to the influence from the French language.
In Sweden, the metro of Stockholm is called "Tunnelbana" or "T-bana" which refers to the fact that the trains often run in tunnels. The same applies to Norway and the "T-bane" of Oslo.
Elevated and overhead.
Elevated is a shorthand for elevated railway, a railway built on supports over other rights of way, generally city streets. The term "overhead" tends to be used in Europe. The names of elevated railways are sometimes further abbreviate it to El or L. Some examples include:
Heavy rail.
The term heavy rail has different meanings in different parts of the world.
Europe.
Austria, Germany, Switzerland.
The German complementary term is "" and the opposite "Kleinbahn". These terms were defined to distinguish different axle loads and connected construction rules. Today the term "Vollbahn" is not common and "Kleinbahn" is used for narrow-gauge lines.
United Kingdom.
In the United Kingdom, "heavy rail" refers to conventional railways forming part of the national network, including commuter, intercity, high-speed rail, rural and freight services, as distinct from metro, light rail and tram lines, people movers, and similar.
North America.
In North America, the American Public Transportation Association defines a heavy-rail system as an electric railway with the capacity to handle a heavy volume of traffic. The term is often used to distinguish it from light rail systems, which usually handle a smaller volume of passengers.
In North America, "heavy rail" can also refer to rapid transit, when referring to systems with heavier passenger loadings than light-rail systems, but distinct from commuter rail and intercity rail systems. It is characterized by high-speed, passenger rail cars running in separate rights-of-way from which all other vehicular and foot traffic are excluded.
Such passenger rail cars are almost always electrically driven, with power either drawn from an overhead line or an electrified third rail.
At-grade urban rail transit.
Tram, streetcar, trolley.
The terms tram, streetcar, and trolley refer to most forms of common carrier rail transit that run entirely or partly on streets, providing a local service and picking up and discharging passengers at any street corner, unless otherwise marked. While tram or "tramway" are widely used worldwide, the term used varies in different dialects of English, with "streetcar" and "trolley" most commonly used in North America ("streetcar" being more common in the western and central part of the continent and "trolley" in the eastern part), while "tram" predominates in Europe and elsewhere.
Tram is a British word, cognate with the Low German "traam", and the Dutch "trame", meaning the "shafts of a wheelbarrow". From this the term "tram" was used in the coal mines of Scotland and Northern England for a coal cart running on rails, and by extension to any similar system of trackway. Some sources however claim that it was derived from the name of engineer Benjamin Outram.
Streetcar is an American word derived from "street" + "car", where "car" is used in the sense of a vehicle running on rails, i.e. railway car. The first American streetcars, introduced around 1830, were horsecars, and this type of streetcar became ubiquitous because very few of the streets in American cities were paved. Mechanical versions, pulled by cables, were introduced around 1870. Electric streetcars were introduced in the 1880s and soon replaced the horse-drawn streetcar in cities across the United States.
Trolley is an American word derived from the electric current pickup mechanism in early systems. The first successful electric streetcars in the United States used a system devised by Frank J. Sprague, in which a spring-loaded trolley pole pushed a small trolley wheel up against an overhead wire to collect electricity for the motors. Although not the first overhead collection system, it was far more reliable than its predecessors, and eventually became used by almost all streetcars. Some authorities believe that the vehicle became known as a "trolley car" because it reminded people (particularly on the West Coast) of a boat trolling for fish. Others believe it derived from a dialect word for a wheeled cart.
In the U.S. the word "tram" frequently refers to a special-purpose bus used as a shuttle (and often not designed for use on public roads), such as for parking lot shuttles at theme parks and major events or transportation within theme parks. Other common North American English meanings of the term "tram" include aerial cable cars and short-distance, rubber-tired people-movers (such as at certain airports). Tourist buses that have been given the appearance of a vintage streetcar (i.e. trolley-replica buses) are most commonly referred to, ambiguously, simply as "trolleys" by the companies or entities operating them or selling them, but may be referred to as trams or streetcars.
Historical systems.
Specific terms for some historically important tram technologies include "horsecar", "heritage streetcar", and "cable car".
Heritage streetcar (also known as heritage trolley or vintage trolley) is an American term for streetcar systems that use vehicles that were built before 1960, or modern replicas of such vehicles.
Cable car is an American word for a passenger rail vehicle attached to a moving cable located below the street surface and powered by engines or motors at a central location, not on board the vehicle. There are cable cars operating in numerous cities, such as San Francisco.
Light railway.
A "light railway" is a British English term referring to a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail". These lighter standards allow lower costs of operation at the price of slower operating speeds and lower vehicle capacity. They were permitted under the Light Railways Act 1896 and intended to bring railways to rural areas. The London Docklands Light Railway, has more rapid transit style features than would be typical of "light rail" systems, but fits within the U.K. "light railway" definition.
Light rail.
A light rail transit (LRT) system is an urban rail transit system with a "light" passenger capacity compared to heavy rail and metro systems. Its operating characteristics are that it uses railcars, called light rail vehicles (LRVs), operating singly or in short multiple unit trains on fixed rails in a right-of-way that is not necessarily grade-separated from other traffic for much of the way. Light rail vehicles are almost always electrically driven, with power usually being drawn from an overhead line rather than an electrified third rail, though a few exceptional systems use diesel multiple units (DMUs) instead as a cheaper alternative to an electrically driven light rail system.
The phrase light rail was coined in the 1970s during the re-emergence of streetcars/trams with more modern technology. It was devised in 1972 by the U.S. Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA; the precursor to the Federal Transit Administration) to describe new streetcar transformations which were taking place, and was a translation of the German word Stadtbahn. However, instead of the literal translation of "city rail", UMTA used "light rail" instead. In general, it refers to streetcar/tram systems with rapid transit-style features. It is named to distinguish it from "heavy rail", which refers to rapid transit systems as well as heavier regional rail/intercity rail.
A few systems such as people movers and personal rapid transit could be considered as even "lighter", at least in terms of how many passengers are moved per vehicle and the speed at which they travel. Monorails are a separate technology.
Light rail systems can typically handle steeper inclines than heavy rail, and curves sharp enough to fit within street intersections. They are typically built in urban areas, providing frequent service with multiple-unit trains or single cars.
The most difficult distinction to draw is that between light rail and streetcar/tram systems. There is a significant amount of overlap between the technologies, and it is common to classify streetcars/trams as a subtype of light rail rather than as a distinct type of transportation. The two general versions are:
Many light rail systems – even fairly old ones – have a combination of the two, with both on-road and off-road sections. In some countries, only the latter is described as "light rail". In those places, trams running on mixed right of way are not regarded as light rail, but considered distinctly as streetcars or trams. However, the requirement for saying that a rail line is "separated" can be quite minimal – sometimes just with concrete "buttons" to discourage automobile drivers from getting onto the tracks.
There is a significant difference in cost between these different classes of light rail transit. The traditional style is often less expensive by a factor of two or more. Despite the increased cost, the more modern variation (which can be considered as "heavier" than old streetcar systems, even though it's called "light rail") is the dominant form of new urban rail transit in the United States. The Federal Transit Administration helps to fund many projects, but as of 2004, the rules to determine which projects will be funded are unfavorable toward the simpler streetcar systems (partly because the vehicles tend to be somewhat slower). Some places in the country have set about building the less expensive streetcar lines themselves or with only minimal federal support. Most of these lines have been "heritage" railways, using refurbished or replica streetcars harkening back to the first half of the 20th century. However, a few, such as the Portland Streetcar, use modern vehicles. There is a growing desire to push the Federal Transit Administration to help fund these startup lines as well.
Light rail is generally powered by electricity, usually by means of overhead wires, but sometimes by a live rail, also called third rail (a high voltage bar alongside the track), requiring safety measures and warnings to the public not to touch it. In some cases, particularly when initial funds are limited, diesel-powered versions have been used, but it is not a preferred option. Some systems, such as AirTrain JFK in New York City, are automatic, dispensing with the need for a driver; however, such systems are not what is generally thought of as light rail, crossing over into rapid transit. Automatic operation is more common in smaller people mover systems than in light rail systems, where the possibility of grade crossings and street running make driverless operation of the latter inappropriate.
Very light rail or ultra light rail.
Very light rail or ultra light rail is a term for light rail with more modest initial requirements than typical light rail. Parry People Mover which is grade-separated, low passenger capacity (maximum 35 standing) powered by LPG with no overhead lines, has been described as ultra light rail. The proposed Coventry Very Light Rail which is at-grade, low passenger capacity (60-70 people), battery powered so no overhead lines also falls into this category. A Very Light rail vehicles is described as vehicles weighing less than 1 tonne / m3.
Interurban.
In the U.S., interurban (German "Überland(straßen)bahn") refers to a higher-speed streetcar (tram) line – i.e. electrical railcars or trains which run both between the cities or towns (often in rural environments) on their own right-of-way, and through the city streets as trams. In the U.S., some interurban railcars constructed in the period 1900–1930 ran at extremely high speed for its time. Essentially, the classic interurbans were the light-rail lines of the day. Several advanced innovations – like streamlining, wind tunnel research and lightweight constructions – have their origin on the interurban scene, or were early adopted by companies like J. G. Brill Company, Cincinnati Car Company, and St. Louis Car Company. The fastest interurbans had a maximum service speed at 145–150 km/h, and an average speed including stops at above 80 km/h. The Cincinnati–Toledo route of Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad was . A few interurbans like Philadelphia and Western Railroad adapted to high speeds with double-track, absolute block signalling and without grade crossings. Others ran at (too) high speed on single-track right-of-way without block signalling – and experienced disastrous wrecks.
The classic U.S. interurbans are all but gone, with two of the remaining (Norristown High Speed Line , IRT Dyre Avenue Line) having been upgraded to rapid transit specifications, and a third system (Cleveland's Blue and Green Lines) now considered to be light rail. The South Shore Line, which runs from Chicago's Millennium Station to South Bend, Indiana, has been converted to modern electric rapid-transit operation on the dense corridor between Chicago and Gary, Indiana but still runs essentially as an interurban through several small towns between Gary and South Bend. Los Angeles has a light-rail system whose lines sometimes follow the routes of the area's interurbans, although this revival commenced decades after the original interurban ceased service.
The European interurbans, like the Silesian Interurbans (Tramwaje Śląskie S.A.; German "Schlesische Straßenbahn") and Belgium's Coastal Tram, were (and are) more like conventional tramways, as their names indicate.
Interurbans sometimes used freight railways rather than building their own track.
In Australia, "interurban" refers to long-distance commuter trains such as the routes between Newcastle and Sydney, between Brisbane and Gympie, or between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Some interurban trains may operate from where suburban lines end, such as Southern Higlands services between Campbelltown and Goulburn, or between Ipswich and Rosewood. These do not have the features of "intercity trains" in other parts of the world, such as booked seats and meal services, but are bare commuter trains. They are properly called interurban rather than intercity, although New South Wales refers to its interurban services as "intercity" trains and Victoria refers to theirs as "regional" trains.
Tram-train.
Tram-trains are railcars or trains which run like trams (streetcars) in city streets, and on heavy rail tracks out to the suburbs or between the cities. Usually, this requires two current systems (German "Zweisystemstadtbahn", "Stadtbahn" with two systems), both the tram voltage (600 or 750 V DC) and the heavy rail high voltage (in Germany, 15 kV AC). The vehicles must also be adapted to the heavy rail's signalling system. This transit mode combines the tram's availability with stops in the street, and the heavy rail's higher speed. They are often faster than most rapid transit (metro) systems. The first system was opened in Karlsruhe in 1992. Their top speed is often 100 km/h, in Kassel as much as 114 km/h. This transit mode is a rebirth of the interurban.
Regional and commuter rail.
Regional rail (also called metropolitan rail, commuter rail, or suburban rail) is an electric or diesel propelled railway for urban passenger train service consisting of local short-distance travel operating between adjacent cities and towns, or between a central city and adjacent suburbs, using either locomotive hauled or multiple unit railroad passenger cars.
Regional rail usually provides rail services between towns and cities, rather than purely linking major population hubs in the way inter-city rail does. Regional rail operates outside major cities. Unlike Inter-city, it stops at most or all stations. It provides a service between smaller communities along the line, and also connections with long-distance services. Alternative names are "local train" or "stopping train".
Examples include the former BR's Regional Railways, France's TER ("Transport express régional") and Germany's DB Regio services. Regional rail operates throughout the day but often at low frequency (once per hour or only a few times a day), whereas commuter rail provides a high-frequency service within a conurbation.
Regional trains are usually all seated and provide luggage space, although they seldom have all the amenities of inter-city trains such as a buffet or dining car. Since their invention, the distinction between regional and long-distance rail has also been the use of multiple unit propulsion, with longer distance trains being locomotive hauled, although development of trains such as the British Rail Class 390 have blurred this distinction. Shorter regional rail services will still usually be operated exclusively by multiple units where they exist, which have a shorter range and operate at lower average speeds than services on Inter-city rail networks. Not using a locomotive also provides greater passenger capacity in the commuter role at peak periods.
British Rail, during sectorisation, did once create a "Regional Railways" subsidiary, however this was so named to differentiate it's 'all other regions' lines from the other sectors Network SouthEast, which heavily focused on commuters services to London terminal stations but operated rail services across the South East region, and the Inter-City sector which operated long-distance services.
Commuter rail in North America refers to urban passenger train service for local short-distance travel operating between a central city and its suburbs. Such rail service, using either locomotive-hauled or self-propelled railroad passenger cars, is characterized by multi-trip tickets, specific station-to-station fares, and usually only one or two stations in the central business district. It does not include heavy rail, rapid transit, light rail, streetcar, tram, or intercity rail service. Some commuter rail systems do link nearby cities, e.g. Boston and Providence (MBTA) or Baltimore and Washington (MARC Train). The national passenger rail provider, Amtrak, uses the term "Regional" to distinguish its slower trains on the Northeast Corridor from its "Acela" high-speed express service. The term regional railroad refers to second-tier freight lines.
Intercity, corridor, and long-distance.
The Inter-City was a British named train, introduced in 1950, but the term InterCity was adopted by British Rail in 1966 as a brand-name for its long-haul express passenger services. Since then, the terms Inter-city or intercity have been widely adopted to refer to express passenger train services that cover longer distances than commuter or regional trains.
In the U.S., "corridor" services refer to routes connecting relatively nearby cities, where one city can be visited from another without staying overnight. "Long-distance" refers to routes which cover vast rural distances.
Other types of rail transit.
Automated guideway transit refers to guided transit vehicles operating singly or in multi-car trains with fully automated control (no crew on transit units). Service may be on a fixed schedule or in response to a passenger-activated call button. Automated guideway transit includes personal rapid transit, group rapid transit, and people mover systems.
Personal rapid transit (PRT), also called personal automated transport (PAT), is a public transportation concept that offers on-demand, non-stop transportation, using small, independent vehicles on a network of specially built guideways.
People mover or automated people mover (APM) systems are fully automated, grade-separated mass transit systems which serve a relatively small area such as an airport, downtown district or theme park. The term "people mover" has become generic for the type of system, which may use technologies such as monorail, duorail, automated guideway transit or maglev.
Monorail means a system of guided transit vehicles operating on or suspended from a single rail, beam, or tube. Usually they operate in trains. Monorails are distinguished from other types of elevated rail system by their use of only a single beam, and from light rail and tram systems by the fact they are always grade-separated from other vehicles and pedestrians.
Suspension railway is a form of elevated monorail where the vehicle is suspended from a fixed track (as opposed to a cable used in aerial tramways), which is built above street level, over a river or canal, or an existing railway track.
Service type.
Local service.
Means trains stop at every station on a route. For light rail vehicles operating on city streets as trams or streetcars, local service is analogous to local bus service, where stops are every block or two apart.
Regional service.
Regional passenger trains may be classified as either slow or stopping trains, or else limited-stop or semi-fast or express trains, where not all stations and stops are served. For example, a pair of closely spaced trains may both stop at the most heavily used stations. For lesser-used stations, the first train stops at alternate stations, while the following train stops at the stations missed by the first train.
Express service.
Means trains operate for long distances without stopping, skipping some stations between stops. This speeds up longer trips, especially in major urban areas. In major cities, express trains may have separate tracks for at least part of their routes.
Passenger boarding.
Street-level boarding.
Used primarily by light rail and tram lines that stop on the street rather than at stations. No platforms are used, the passengers walk up steps into the vehicles. For wheelchairs, a retractable lift or ramp is required to gain access to the vehicle.
Low-level platforms.
Generally about above track level and are used primarily by some commuter rail and light rail and tram/streetcar rail systems. Wheelchairs can board low-floor vehicles directly from the platform, but high-floor vehicles require retractable lifts or ramps.
High-level platforms.
Generally above track level and are used primarily by heavy rail, automated guideway, and some commuter rail lines. Only high-floor vehicles can be used, but wheelchairs can board directly from platforms if vehicle floors are level with the platform.
Rail terminology with regard to speed.
Conventional rail.
Generally, the speed range for conventional rail is or less.
The vast majority of local, regional, and express passenger trains, and almost 100% of freight trains are of this category.
Countries that do not make distinction between conventional rail and higher-speed rail can have the maximum speeds of conventional rail up to with the systems that can operate at the speeds higher than that be classified as high-speed rail. For the countries with higher-speed rail classification, the maximum speeds of conventional rail can vary which may go up to such as in Canada.
Higher-speed rail.
Generally, the speed range for higher-speed rail is between and .
The higher-speed rail can operate at top speeds that are higher than conventional rail but the speeds are not as high as those in the high-speed rail services. These services are provided after improvements to the conventional rail infrastructure in order to support trains that can operate safely at higher speeds. There is no globally accepted standard in the speed ranges for this classification. Local and regional jurisdictions may have their own definitions. For example, a definition in North Texas has a wide range of speeds between and . A planned construction in Thailand, called medium-speed rail, has the top speeds of .
In some cases the term higher speed rail would sound incorrect to define a train travelling below a high speed since higher is greater than high. Therefore, the word higher speed rail would sound correct to refer to a train at a speed between 300 and 500 km/h (i.e. greater than the high speed of 200–300 km/h).
High-speed rail.
Generally, the speed range for high-speed rail is between and .
There is no globally accepted standard separating high-speed rail from conventional railroads; however a number of widely accepted variables have been acknowledged by the industry in recent years. Generally, high-speed rail is defined as having a top speed in regular use of over . Although almost every form of high-speed rail is electrically driven via overhead lines, this is not necessarily a defining aspect and other forms of propulsion, such as diesel locomotives, may be used. A definitive aspect is the use of continuous welded rail which reduces track vibrations and discrepancies between rail segments enough to allow trains to pass at speeds in excess of . Track radius will often be the ultimate limiting factor in a train's speed, with passenger discomfort often more imminent than the danger of derailment. Depending on design speed, banking, and the forces deemed acceptable to the passengers, curves often exceed a 5 kilometer radius. Tilting trains have been developed for achieving greater comfort for passengers, so higher speeds are possible on curvy tracks. Although a few exceptions exist, zero grade crossings is a policy adopted almost worldwide, with advanced switches utilizing very low entry and frog angles. Magnetic levitation trains fall under the category of high-speed rail due to their association with track oriented vehicles; however their inability to operate on conventional railroads often leads to their classification in a separate category.
In the United States, the federal law has used the term "high-speed rail" as the rail services with "reasonably expected to reach sustained speeds of more than 125 miles per hour [200 km/h]" since 1998. In 2009, the United States Department of Transportation created a vision plan for national high-speed rail network with conflicting definitions by describing the lowest speed range of the high-speed rail systems as "Emerging HSR" with top speeds between and This created confusion in terminology and the media started to differentiate the "higher-speed rail" from the high-speed rail. Some state-level departments of transportation and council of governments now use different sets of definitions. For examples, North Central Texas Council of Governments uses the definition of the speeds over , and Texas Department of Transportation and Oklahoma Department of Transportation use the speeds of or more to define high-speed rail. These agencies have a separate category for higher-speed rail which can be a wide range of speeds between and .
Very high-speed rail.
Generally, the speed range for very high-speed rail is between and .
The term is used for the fastest trains introduced after 2000, exceeding 300 km/h. Shanghai Transrapid is one example, with a line speed of 430 km/h.
Ultra high-speed rail.
Generally, the speed range for ultra high-speed rail is between and .
A number of both technological and practical variables begin to influence trains in the vicinity of 500–600 km/h. Technologically, the limitations are by no means beyond reach, however conventional trains begin to encounter several physical obstacles, most notably track damage and pantograph limitations. It is important to note that the current world record for rail vehicles is held by the TGV V150 set on 15 April 2007 at , and conventional trains may indeed eventually reach into ultra high-speeds. However, this test has shown that speeds over 500 km/h are unrealistic for regular usage; it wears down the material too much. Based on current and foreseeable technology, these speeds will more than likely be reached predominantly by maglev trains. The two most prominent maglev trains are the Transrapid with a maximum speed of and the Japanese MLX01, which holds the world land speed record for rail vehicles at .
Trains faster than will exceed the speed of most propeller-driven aircraft. Regardless of technological parameters, the track for such a train and anything faster would more than likely require turn radii of significantly higher proportions than current dimensions, essentially preventing anything but a direct line between terminals. Such trains are extremely unlikely in the current or near future.
Greater than 1000 km/h (621 mph).
Depending on the aerodynamic design of the vehicle and various ambient atmospheric conditions, a train would begin to exhibit transonic airflow in the vicinity of Mach 0.8 (988 km/h) and higher. From a modern perspective, this is essentially the realistic maximum speed of trains as they are known today. This is because the Prandtl-Glauert singularity would cause catastrophic damage to the vehicle as the sound waves reflected off of the ground, potentially blasting the train into the air. The only trains that could exceed this speed significantly are vactrains.
Rail terminology with respect to railway track gauge.
Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to the standard track gauge where the distance between the inside edges of the rails of the track is (see the list of countries that use the standard gauge).
Narrow gauge railways have track gauges of between and . They are cheaper to build and operate, but tend to be slower and have less capacity. Minimum gauge railway have a gauge of less than and are primarily used as industrial railways rather than for passenger transit. However many miniature railways use this type of gauge.
Broad gauge railways use a track gauge greater than . Examples include , and .


Ensemble/HCC station

Ensemble/HCC is an island platformed METRORail light rail station in Houston, Texas, United States. The station was opened on January 1, 2004, and is operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO). Located Midtown, this station is close to both the Houston Community College System's Central College campus and The Ensemble Theatre, which together give the station its name.
The station was to have originally been called "Berry/HCC" due to its location at the intersection of Main and Berry Streets near the Houston Community College Central Campus. However, "Ensemble/HCC" was chosen as the official name after Houston mayor Lee P. Brown presented a proposal from The Ensemble Theatre to include their name in the station naming. This is the only station to have its name altered from the original ones proposed by METRO.


BlaBlaBus

BlaBlaBus, formerly Ouibus or iDBUS, operates coach services in Europe. Currently, BlaBlaBus serves Aix-en-Provence, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Genoa, Lille, London, Lyon, Marseille, Milan, Nice, Paris, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, San Sebastián, and Turin. The route network is expanding progressively. BlaBlaBus has three major hubs; Paris-Bercy, Lyon-Perrache, and Lille-Europe. Founded in 2012 by SNCF, in November 2018 it was announced that it would be purchased by BlaBlaCar and rebranded as BlaBlaBus.
History.
iDBUS was launched on 23 July 2012 with services to Amsterdam, London and Brussels from the first hub Paris-Bercy. A domestic service between Paris and Lille was launched on 29 August 2012.
A second hub was created at Lyon-Perrache on 17 December 2012 to launch Milan and Turin destinations. On 23 May 2013, iDBUS began operating services between Marseille and Nice, Genoa and Milan. On 28 April 2014 iDBUS launched a service from Brussels to Amsterdam, London and Charles de Gaulle Airport.
On 1 December 2014, iDBUS started operating into Germany, with a service from Paris to Brussels, Aachen and Cologne. From 15 June 2015 iDBUS expanded further in the Benelux, with Rotterdam and Antwerp added to the network. From the same date a London to Lyon route started.
On 3 September 2015, iDBUS was rebranded Ouibus. In July 2016, the Starshipper business was purchased.
In February 2018, Ouibus entered a partnership with ALSA and National Express. In November 2018, it was announced the business would be purchased by BlaBlaCar.
Fleet.
BlaBlaBus has a fleet of 46 Setra, Mercedes-Benz and Iveco coaches that meet the Euro 5 emission standard. The whole fleet is fitted with Wi-Fi, plug sockets and spaces for disabled passengers.
On a number of the services to/from Spain, a fleet of Irizar i6 coaches operated by Sarfa are used. These operate in the Ouibus livery.
The fleet is equipped with toilets and free WiFi, and offers power outlets at every seat.


Arakawa-kuyakushomae Station

 is a tram station operated by Toei's Tokyo Sakura Tram located in Arakawa, Tokyo Japan. It is 0.6 kilometres from the terminus of the Tokyo Sakura Tram at Minowabashi Station.
Layout.
Arakawa-kuyakushomae Station has two opposed side platforms.


Cochise Hotel

The Cochise Hotel is a historic and functional hotel located in the town of Cochise in southeastern Arizona. The hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 22, 1976.
History.
The hotel was originally built in 1882 by the railroad telegrapher and father of the town of Cochise, John Rath. The hotel has been in operation since then and is still open and currently being restored. The hotel was built with the purpose of serving railroad crews traveling through the town. The railroad depot, now gone, was located directly across the street.
After its opening in 1882, Rath and the Cochise Hotel served many purposes for the local community. These purposes included serving as the Wells Fargo office, the telegraph office, the community laundry and the local post office beginning in 1896. In 1899, Big Nose Kate, Mary Katherine Harony Cummings, the famed sidekick of John Henry Holliday aka Doc Holliday, was hired to work in the hotel after Holliday's death.


New Flyer

New Flyer Industries is a Canadian bus manufacturer owned by NFI Group. With various manufacturing facilities in Canada and the United States, the company produces the New Flyer Xcelsior family of buses.
History.
New Flyer was founded by John Coval in 1930 as the Western Auto and Truck Body Works Ltd in Manitoba. The company began producing buses in 1937 and in 1941 the Western Flyer bus model was released, prompting the company to change its name to Western Flyer Coach in 1948.
In the 1960s, the company further focused on the urban transit bus market. In 1971, the then-financially struggling Western Flyer was sold to the Manitoba Development Corporation, an agency of the government of Manitoba, and renamed Flyer Industries Limited. In 1974 the opposition Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba had urged the NDP government in power to divest Flyer Industries from government ownership.
On July 15, 1986, Jan den Oudsten, a descendant of the family who formed Dutch bus manufacturer Den Oudsten Bussen BV, purchased Flyer Industries from the Manitoba government, changing its name to New Flyer Industries Limited.
New Flyer designed and tested North America's first low-floor bus in 1988 and delivered the first production model, called the D40LF, to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 1991. In 1994, New Flyer delivered the first compressed natural gas bus in North America and the world's first hydrogen fuel cell powered bus. In 1995, the company delivered the first low-floor articulated bus in North America to Strathcona County Transit.
In March 2002, New Flyer was acquired by KPS Capital Partners, an investment company that specializes in turning around struggling businesses, for $44 million. Later that year Jan den Oudsten retired as CEO. He was later inducted into the American Public Transportation Association's Hall of Fame for his work at the company.
In 2003, King County Metro in Seattle placed an order for 213 hybrid buses, the world's first large order for hybrid buses.
On December 15, 2003, New Flyer was purchased by private equity firms Harvest Partners and Lightyear Capital. The company's CEO, John Marinucci, called the purchase an indicator that the company's operational and financial turnaround had been accomplished.
On August 19, 2005, New Flyer became a publicly traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange, renaming the company to New Flyer Industries Canada ULC and creating the publicly traded parent company NFI Group Inc. 2005 also saw a restyling of New Flyer's popular low-floor coaches with new front and rear endcaps, to modernize and streamline the exterior appearance of the bus.
In June 2012 New Flyer, in a joint venture with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the Manitoba Government, Manitoba Hydro and Red River College, unveiled a fully electric battery-powered bus.
In May 2012, New Flyer and Alexander Dennis announced a joint venture to design and manufacture medium-duty low-floor bus (or midi bus) for the North American market. The bus, called the New Flyer MiDi, was based on the design of the Alexander Dennis Enviro200. Alexander Dennis engineered and tested the bus, and it was built and marketed by New Flyer under contract. During the partnership around 200 buses were delivered to 22 operators in Canada and US. In May 2017, New Flyer and Alexander Dennis announced their joint venture would end and production of the bus would transition to Alexander Dennis' new North American factory in Indiana where it is produced alongside the double-deck Enviro500 series bus. Alexander Dennis was later purchased by New Flyer in 2019.
Models.
Model codes.
Note that not all possible combinations have been offered.


Trams in Chongjin

Chongjin Tram is a public tram system in Chongjin, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). The line opened in 1999. There is currently one line in operation.
History.
The regular operation on the standard gauge tram line started on 2 July 1999. It was initially six kilometers long and was extended in a later by seven kilometers. Allegedly, according to Choson Sinbo, there were plans to extend the line to Chongjin station with a planned opening date of October 2002, though this is not corroborated elsewhere.
Rolling Stock.
Chongjin tram uses a number of locally produced single car trams and a single articulated tram. All vehicles are produced by Chongjin Bus Factory. These single trams bear an extreme resemblance to the Tatra T6B5, but have one more window per side and no resistor equipment on roof. The articulated tram rather appears like a Tatra KT8D5 without the middle section.


Bristol RE

The Bristol RE was a rear-engined single-decker bus or single-decker coach chassis built by Bristol Commercial Vehicles from 1962 until 1982. It is often considered the most successful of the first generation of rear-engined single-decker buses.
Initially, the RE was only supplied to subsidiaries of the nationalised Transport Holding Company (THC), by which Bristol was wholly owned. From 1965, when Leyland purchased a 25% shareholding in Bristol and the company's products became available to non state-owned bus operator customers, the RE also gained popularity with companies in other sectors, including the British Electric Traction (BET) Group and many municipal operators.
From 1972, sales to the National Bus Company (NBC), which had taken over the operations of both THC and BET) began to dry up, due to the introduction of the Leyland National. From 1976, the RE remained in production only for the Northern Irish state-owned bus companies Ulsterbus and Citybus, and for export to Christchurch Transport Board, New Zealand.
In Great Britain, the RE was most commonly fitted with bodywork by ECW, but several other manufacturers also built bodywork on the chassis. Some coaches were fitted with Duple Commander, Plaxton Panorama Elite or Alexander M Type bodywork. In Northern Ireland, the RE was bodied by Alexander (Belfast), with the X Type bodywork.
Three of the ex-Citybus REs from Belfast were acquired by Pinewood Studios in October 2005, where they appeared in movies such as "Children of Men" and "".
Variants.
These designations were suffixed by a code indicating the type of engine fitted:
What was to be the first production chassis (212.001) was changed to a pre-production model (number REX.003), with a coach body built by ECW but devoid of any seats and fittings. It was used by Bristol Commercial Vehicles at its Brislington Experimental Shop for a few years. It was fitted and ran with a horizontal version of the contemporary Bristol BVW engine, and also fitted with a turbo-charger. Later the Gardner engine was refitted, the body completed and sold to West Yorkshire as their fleet number CRG1 OWT241E.
The most popular model was the RELL, with 2,839 constructed; there were 976 of the RELH model and 698 RESL. The two least successful models were the REMH, with 105 sold to just three customers, and the RESH with 11 built for four customers. A sixth model, designated REML, was advertised from 1968 but none was built. This would have had the wheelbase of the REMH but a low frame suitable for a bus body.
Customers.
Of the 4,629 Bristol REs built, 3,242 were sold to subsidiaries of the NBC and its predecessor groups, THC and BET; 148 were sold to members of the Scottish Bus Group; 405 to British municipalities and PTEs; and 834 to other operators. The biggest customers were: Bristol Omnibus Company (439); Crosville Motor Services (288); Ulsterbus/Citybus (620); United Automobile Services (470); West Yorkshire Road Car Company (259).


Farmers Branch station

Farmers Branch station (formerly Farmers Branch Park & Ride) is a DART Light Rail station in Farmers Branch, Texas. It serves the . The station initially opened as a bus-only park & ride facility in the 1990s. Light rail platforms opened as part of the Green Line's expansion in December 2010.


AsterRIDE

asterRIDE is an referral company similar to a Kayak.com or Expedia.com that operates and markets transportation services on behalf the limousine and taxi operators across the cities they operate. AsterRIDE markets their web platform and mobile app asterRIDE (iOS and Android), which connects passengers with taxi drivers and for-hire chauffeurs in its cities of operation. As of June, 2015, asterRIDE is available in ten U.S. cities and growing: Chicago, Everett, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Miami, Naples, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and West Palm Beach. According to a release on their website, Las Vegas, New York City, Houston, and Philadelphia will be new markets very soon.
History.
asterRIDE was founded by Seattle entrepreneur and Arizona State University graduate Seth Rudin in October, 2014. Rudin came up with the idea for the service while struggling to book ground transportation during his frequent business trips.
AsterRIDE app and services.
The asterRIDE passenger app connects passengers with commercially insured, city-licensed drivers. Vehicle drivers and cab companies receive and manage ride requests through a corresponding driver app. Passengers are offered a choice between a conventional taxi, for-hire car or limousine. Passengers can order rides on-demand using the instaRIDE™ feature or for a date and time in the future through its Advance Booking feature, save favorite locations, and search recommendations through Yelp ratings
InstaALERT™.
asterRIDE offers a safety feature called instaALERT™, which allows passengers to send an alert to a friend or family member when they have accepted a ride via the app.
Preferred Driver.
Passengers can also select their preferred driver and a driver can also invite new passengers to the platform whom want to be paired together.
Pricing model.
asterRIDE passengers are charged a booking and customer service fee. The app does not use a "surge" pricing system.
Reception.
asterRIDE has been positively received by bloggers and media outlets. In December 2014, asterRIDE was named one of the 30 Must-Know Upstarts of 2014 by Upstart Business Journal. In May 2015, asterRIDE was named to Entrepreneur Magazine's list of 100 Brilliant Companies of 2015. It has been described as a taxi-friendly alternative to ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft.


Englewood station (RTD)

Englewood station is a RTD light rail station in Englewood, Colorado, United States. Operating as part of the C and D Lines, the station was opened on July 14, 2000, and is operated by the Regional Transportation District. It serves the Englewood City Center, site of the former Cinderella City Mall.


Burwood Bus Depot

Burwood Bus Depot is a bus depot in the Sydney suburb of Burwood operated by Transit Systems
History.
Burwood Bus Depot was purchased by the Department of Road Transport & Tramways from the Metropolitan Omnibus Transport Company in 1933. As part of the contracting out of region 6, operation of Burwood depot passed from State Transit to Transit Systems on 1 July 2018.
As of December 2020, it has an allocation of 114 buses.


First Student UK

First Student UK is the brand used by FirstGroup for student transport in the United Kingdom. The brand was originally used in the United States for school transport there, and was expanded to the United Kingdom in 2000. First Student UK is a pioneer in the introduction of task-specific school buses in Britain, usually painted school bus yellow to distinguish them from conventional buses.
Development.
First Student and First in West Yorkshire successfully piloted one of the first yellow school bus schemes in the Huddersfield and Calderdale area in 2000.
In 2002, another early scheme began in Wrexham, Wales. It was also contracted to First, who began to operate the scheme in June of that year. FirstGroup's chief executive Moir Lockhead said "we believe that the yellow school bus offers the safest, most reliable way to transport children to and from school". As with other schemes, including one in Runnymede in Surrey set up around the same time, First had to open new bases to operate the school buses, having no other operations in the respective areas. The first schemes also had buses built like traditional US school buses, whereas later schemes have more conventional UK bus shapes.
By October 2002, FirstGroup's first Welsh scheme had proved successful enough for the fleet of buses to be doubled.
As further schemes developed, First became more involved in setting up schemes. First Berkshire, already running the Runnymede First Student service, won the contract from Surrey County Council in 2005 to operate the Ride Pegasus! school bus scheme, although using buses in a different livery. However, this ended in July 2010 following the withdrawal of funding.
In December 2007, a yellow school bus visited Perth, Scotland, to test reactions. FirstGroup suggested that their research shows 86% of British parents would like to send their children to school in dedicated buses.
To develop this system in the United Kingdom the company decided to bring in American knowledge in the form of managing director Linda Howard, who had owned and operated her own school bus company in the States before it was acquired by First.
In 2008, one bus toured the country on trials. The campaigns continued. Former Home Secretary David Blunkett supports the use of yellow school buses, and in 2008 worked with First to campaign for wider use of the school bus system.
Current operations.
First Student UK currently take 8,000 students to and from school in the UK, every day. 15 school bus systems are currently operated, two in Scotland, two in Wales and the rest in England.
In contrast to the North American division, where school busing is a primary function, First Student UK takes advantage of the existence of a First Group operating base throughout the country. "Yellow School Bus" schemes are run on behalf of the local authority by an existing subsidiary of First or sub-contracted to an independent operator where they do not have a presence.
One of the biggest schemes, First Halifax is the largest provider of yellow school buses on behalf of West Yorkshire Metro. First West Yorkshire is also involved in a First Student school bus scheme. They run 81 school buses every day on the PTE's "My Bus" scheme. First Berkshire run a small scheme in Runnymede. Another scheme is run on behalf of Hampshire County Council, with handful of buses operated to selected schools by First Hampshire & Dorset.
Ride Pegasus!
Ride Pegasus! was a school bus scheme run by First Berkshire & The Thames Valley under contract to Surrey Country Council. The scheme, which required 22 buses, served 14 primary schools in the Guildford area and carried 850 children each day for a cost of £900,000 per year. Some non-school "Access Bus" services, primarily for senior citizens, were also run, as was the Guildford park and ride route 300 to Merrow. Buses were run from the council depot in Merrow Lane, which was treated as an outstation to one of First Berkshire's main depots. Ride Pegasus stopped running on 23 July 2010, at the end of the 2010 school year, due to the withdrawal of financing by the council.
The intention to start a school bus operation in Surrey was first announced by Surrey County Council in 2002, and was initially named Project Pegasus. In April 2005 the Department of Transport branded the plan, now known as the Pegasus School Bus Project, "low value for money" and decided not to fund a pilot scheme. However, by January 2006 funding had been arranged for a pilot scheme to begin at Tillingbourne School in Chilworth, with an official launch on 17 March 2006. Over the following five years it was expanded to cover 14 schools in the area, although it continued to be only a pilot with a projected end date of December 2010.
In September 2009 Surrey County Council announced a decision to cease funding the program from July 2010, citing the cost of £900,000 per year as too expensive for a system which benefited only 1% of Surrey schoolchildren. A petition against the decision received 1500 signatures in 11 days. The decision was reviewed in November 2009 with a view to extending the service to operate until July 2011, but despite criticism was not overturned. The park and ride contract also ended in July 2010; it was initially due to finish in December 2010, but was brought forward to coincide with the end of the school bus operation.
The 22 buses used on the service returned to owners Surrey County Council at the end of the scheme. All were Dennis Dart SLF/East Lancs Myllenniums. They have since seen loaned to other operators; three to Safeguard Coaches for continued use on the Guildford park and ride, one to Arriva Guildford & West Surrey and 14 to Abellio Surrey, the latter two as part of Surrey CC's Bus Review. The final four were loaned to Southdown PSV.
Stagecoach now operate all of the town's Park & Ride network; 2 of the buses used are ex-Pegasus.


Ormond Hotel

The Ormond Hotel (also known as The Flagler Hotel) was a historic hotel in Ormond Beach, Florida, United States. It was located at 15 East Granada Boulevard.
History.
Built by John Anderson and J. D. Price, the hotel opened on January 1, 1888. By spring of 1889, the Florida East Coast Railway extended its service from Jacksonville to Daytona, and railroad magnate Henry Flagler bought The Ormond Hotel and enlarged it to handle 600 guests. It became one in a series of his hotels positioned along the line to accommodate his passengers, including The Ponce De León Hotel in St. Augustine, The Royal Poinciana Hotel and The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, and The Royal Palm Hotel in Miami. In 1914, John D. Rockefeller arrived at The Ormond Hotel for the winter season, and rented an entire floor for his staff and himself. After four seasons at the hotel, he bought The Casements, a nearby estate also beside the Halifax River.
On November 24, 1980, The Ormond Hotel was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. In 1992, the structure was razed to the ground to make way for a condominium. The original cupola now stands in a riverfront park directly west of the site of the former hotel.


Mid Bus

Mid Bus was a corporation which specialized in manufacturing customized school buses. Formed in 1981 by former employees of Superior Coach Company in Lima, Ohio, it grew from a dozen employees working in a small facility in Lima to become one of the country's largest manufacturers of smaller school buses, moving to a much larger facility a few miles north of Lima in 1995.
The company was acquired by Collins Bus Corporation in 1998. On September 19, 2007, Collins announced plans to close the Mid Bus plant in Ohio and consolidate all manufacturing at the Collins facility in Kansas.
History.
In 1980, in the US, there were six major school bus body companies building large school buses, mostly making bodies for chassis from four truck manufacturers, joined by two coach-type school bus builders on the West Coast. Most also made some smaller buses of various types. With the baby boom years which swelled the ranks of school children in the past, the manufacturing industry faced serious over-capacity as companies vied and competed for lower volumes of purchases.
In 1981, when Sheller-Globe Corporation, a diversified industrial conglomerate closed down its large Superior Coach Company bus factory in Lima, Ohio, three former managers created Mid Bus, manufacturing Superior's smallest Type A bus under the new "Superior by Mid Bus" brand name.
Initially, they had a seven other former employees of the large factory, and worked in a small shop. As other small bus products were added, Superior by Mid Bus was shortened to Mid Bus. In the late 1980s, the company acquired the Minuteman product line from AmTran (formerly Ward Body Company) and in the early 1990s, the tooling and product rights to Busette from Wayne Corporation.
After a succession of larger facilities in Lima, around 1995, the company moved to a much larger facility in Bluffton, Ohio. Mid Bus became a subsidiary of Collins Industries, a publicly traded stock company, in 1998. On September 19, 2007, Collins announced plans to close the Mid Bus plant in Ohio and consolidate all manufacturing at the Collins facility in Kansas.


Hostetter station

Hostetter is a light rail station in San Jose, California, United States. It is operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and is served by the Orange Line.
The station, built as part of the "Tasman East/Capitol" extension from I-880/Milpitas station (now Alder station) to Alum Rock Transit Center, was originally intended as the terminus of phase two of the Tasman East project. However, phase two of the Tasman East extension and the Capitol extension were eventually opened on the same date on June 24, 2004.
Location.
Hostetter station is located in the median of North Capitol Avenue, just south of Hostetter Road in San Jose, California.


Isuzu Traga

The Isuzu Traga is a small cab over pickup truck manufactured by Isuzu since 2018. It is developed to compete with the Mitsubishi L300 in the Indonesian medium pickup truck market. It replaces the L300-based Bison and Panther pickup in the market.
It is manufactured and primarily sold in Indonesia, and is exported to other Southeast Asian countries since 2019 as well. The Philippines is the first export destination, where it is sold as the Isuzu Traviz.
The "Traga" name is derived from the phrase ""X-tra ("Ekstra") "Lega", which means "extra spacious" in Indonesian.
Overview.
The Traga was launched in Indonesia on 23 April 2018, and is offered in two variants: Flat Deck and Box. The Flat Deck variant has a rear bed dimension of and is claimed to be the biggest in its class.
In the Philippines, the Traviz was launched on 13 November 2019 and is available in two body styles: S and L. Before the "Traviz" name is used, it was showcased as under the "VT02" name in October 2018.
Engine.
The Traga is powered by a direct-injected low-pressure turbocharged 2.5-litre "4JA1-L" inline-four diesel engine taken from the Panther. It produces a power output of at 3,500 rpm and of torque at 1,800 rpm, with a claimed fuel economy of .
The Traviz uses a Euro4 compliant common rail direct-injected version of the "4JA1" engine. It produces at 3,900 rpm and of torque at 1,800 rpm.


Robin Gloag

Robin Nicol Gloag (1943 – 5 December 2007) was one of the founders, with Brian Souter and Ann Gloag, of Stagecoach Group, one of the UK's largest transport businesses.
Life.
On leaving school Robin Gloag initially worked as a petrol station manager. In 1980 he and his wife, Ann, bought two old buses and established their own bus business running services from Dundee to London: Robin acted as driver and maintenance man of what became Stagecoach Group.
He ceased active involvement in the firm and sold his shareholding in Stagecoach in 1983 with the collapse of his marriage to Ann. Robin founded Highwayman Coaches of Errol, Scotland the same year.
Gloag was killed in a car crash in December 2007. The car he was driving left the road and overturned in a field near Perth. No other vehicles were involved in the accident. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Family.
Robin was married twice, first to Ann, and later to Shirley.
In 1999, Robin and Ann Gloag's son, Jonathan (aged 28) committed suicide in Perthshire. Jonathan Gloag was married at the time of his death to the former Sarah McCleary, the daughter of Ann Gloag's second husband, David McCleary.


Isuzu Giga

The Isuzu Giga () is a line of heavy-duty commercial vehicles produced by Isuzu since 1994. Outside Japan it is known as Isuzu C/E series. It was formally known as the Isuzu Heavy-Duty Truck'. Between 1994-2016, it was also sold in South America (under the Chevrolet brand as Chevrolet C/E series).
First generation (1994–2015).
The first generation Giga was introduced in November 1994 to replace the Isuzu 810. Originally available as a flat bed and a few other rigid versions (C-series), a tractor was added in June 1995. Tractors carry "E-series" model codes, continuing from the preceding "810EX" series. While initially only available with a standard roof, a high roof configuration was added later.
In June 2000 the naturally aspirated 12PE1 V12 engine was replaced by the 8TD1 V8 engine. The truck was updated again in June 2003, discontinuing the naturally aspirated vee-engines and now only offering turbocharged inline-sixes to help meet new noise control standards. The new model did not receive any notable external changes; it was marketed as the "Smoother G". The truck received a facelift in 2007 (Phase II) and again in 2010 (Phase III). Production ended in 2015, although the tractor versions were not replaced until the following year.
Defects and recalls.
In 2008, 2,225 Japanese Giga models from the 2007 model year were recalled after it was discovered they had faulty fuel tank caps which could cause fuel inside the tank to leak.
In 2009, 5,475 Japanese Giga Turbo models from the 1999-2005 model years were recalled after it was discovered they had faulty turbos which could result in turbine blade damage and output may be insufficient, resulting in inability to operate.
In 2019, 1,205 Australian CX and EX models from the 2010 and 2019 model years were recalled after it was discovered they had faulty front under-run protection device (FUPD) reinforcement brackets which could cause the FUPD to fail if involved in a front-end collision.
Lineup.
Semi-tractor
Second generation (2015–present).
The second generation Giga was released and shown at the Tokyo Motor Show. in November 2015.
The Compressed natural gas (CNG) model was released the same year.


Village on Wheels

Village on Wheels refer to trains introduced by the Indian Railways to cater to budget tourists, especially villagers. The trains connect the selected tourist destinations, usually with a circular schedule. They are managed by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a public-sector undertaking of the Railways.
This is envisaged to be the more plebeian version of the luxurious Palace on Wheels trains.
'The train is aimed at promoting tourism and connecting one city to another' says the railways official 'the first nine-day journey will cost Rs. 4,500 inclusive of vegetarian meals and snacks'


Volvo B5LH

The Volvo B5LH (initially known as the Volvo B5L Hybrid, also known as the Volvo BRLH) is a low-floor hybrid electric bus chassis for both single-decker buses and double-decker buses manufactured by Volvo since 2008. It is the basis for Volvo's integral 7700 Hybrid full low floor city bus and its successor, the 7900 Hybrid from 2011. In 2008, pre-production batches of both types of chassis were manufactured. Serial production started in June 2010. From 2013 it is also available as an articulated bus chassis. First entering service in London, the B5LH is the only current double decker type in service in the United Kingdom that uses a parallel hybrid drive system.
An updated version, the Volvo B5LHC, was launched in 2016, designed for high-capacity inner-city work. The chassis is available with Wright SRM bodywork, which in terms of front end styling is identical in appearance to London's New Routemaster buses.
On 14 April 2020, Volvo announced the "S-Charge" self-charging hybrid version of B5L chassis, which replaced original hybrid model. It is known as Volvo B5L S-Charge and can run in electric mode at the speeds up to 50 km/h, up from 20 km/h in previous model. Previous model continues to be available in certain markets, such as the UK.
Design and Performance.
The B5LH is powered by Volvo's in-house parallel hybrid drive train that couple its I-SAM motor to a 5-litre D5-series diesel engine. The drive train is connected to the Volvo I-Shift automatic transmission that drives the rear axle. The whole drive train is mounted in-line at the left rear of the chassis, similar to the B7L. A lithium battery pack is mounted just behind the front left wheel, powering the I-SAM motor system.
The B5LH features stop-start system that allows its engine to cut off when the bus is stationary and the battery is sufficiently charged. It is also capable to drive at full-electric mode from standstill to up to In service, Volvo claims that the B5LH achieves 35% improvement on fuel consumption and reduces the emission of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide by an equivalent amount. In-service data in London shows that the B5LH is demonstrating between 25 and 40% of fuel consumption improvement.
Initially, Wrightbus has been the solitary double-decker body supplier of the chassis. The pre-production batch was fitted with Eclipse Gemini bodywork, and production chassis to date received Eclipse Gemini 2 body. Currently, a lighter Eclipse Gemini 3 & Gemini 3 bodywork are offered to the Euro VI version of the chassis. Alexander Dennis is also offering its Enviro 400 bodywork to the chassis, following an order from Stagecoach in early 2014.
History.
At least four Volvo 7700 Hybrid prototypes were built in late 2008 for initial testing before some of them from 2009 toured many countries as demonstrators, only having short periods of proper duty at various places. In early 2012 two of them ended up in the rather small city of Alta in Finnmark, Norway for year-long testing in the arctic climate with local operator Boreal Transport.
The first batch of six pre-production B5LH double-deckers entered service with Arriva London in 2009. Following successful trial, Arriva has followed up with further orders for its operations in London, Kent, Manchester, Merseyside, Northumbria and Yorkshire. With 259 examples, it is currently the largest operator of the type.
The B5LH has gained increasing popularity with other operators in the UK, with Go-Ahead London, London Sovereign, Metroline and Stagecoach London operating the type in London. Outside the capital, the B5LH has been purchased by BakerBus, Brighton & Hove, Bullocks Coaches, Ensignbus, First Essex, First Greater Manchester, Go North East, National Express West Midlands, Oxford Bus Company, Preston Bus. In many cases, a number of operators are operating the B5LHs alongside its main rival, the serial hybrid drive Alexander Dennis Enviro 400H.
In March 2014, Volvo also secured a landmark order of the type with Stagecoach for use on its Tayside operations. This batch of 18 buses will be, for the first time, bodied by Alexander Dennis.
As of April 2014, 434 B5LHs were in service in the UK (1 example has been destroyed by fire in 2013 before delivery), with a further 73 on order.
As of November 2017, 40 B5LHs are in service with Lothian Buses with a further 20 on order.
Outside the UK, a Euro VI B5LH demonstrator was delivered to Dublin Bus in early 2014 for evaluation; Dublin planned to lease 3 of the vehicles, but were unable to fund the lease.
In 2017, Latrobe Valley Bus Lines, Australia, purchased 8, bodied with local Volgren bodywork.
In Singapore, the Land Transport Authority purchased fifty B5LH buses for S$30 million. These buses received MCV Evora bodywork. They entered service from December 2018.
Engines.
D5E, 4764 cc, in-line 4 cyl. turbodiesel (2008—2009)
D5F, 4764 cc, in-line 4 cyl. turbodiesel (2009—2013)
D5K, 5132 cc, in-line 4 cyl. turbodiesel (2013—present)


Diesel railcar


Hayes Manufacturing Company

The Hayes Manufacturing Company Limited was a Vancouver-based Canadian manufacturer of heavy trucks known for their durability and a revolving bunk system. Founded in 1920, Hayes built both highway and off-road trucks, particularly for the logging industry. On a smaller scale, Hayes also manufactured buses. The Signal Company acquired a controlling stake in the company in 1969, and in 1971 renamed it Hayes Trucks. In 1975, Signal sold the company to Paccar, which closed the Hayes plants.
History.
The British Columbia company was established in 1920 by Douglas Hayes, a parts dealer, and partner W. Anderson from Quadra Island, and was originally the Hayes-Anderson Motor Company Ltd. It was renamed Hayes Manufacturing Company Ltd. in 1928, when the company built a large factory on the False Creek flats in Vancouver. The company eventually had over 600 employees and three plants.
Along with trucks, Hayes manufactured buses, moving vans, tractors and trailers. Its few bus models included the Hayes "Teardrop", a very streamlined design introduced in 1936. Several Teardrop buses were purchased by Pacific Stage Lines, one of which has been preserved by the Transit Museum Society.
The truck hood ornament was a die-cast, chrome-plated, 5-pound bear or a bronze cast bear. The chrome bear was found on the clippers and the bronze was off the square nose logger with butterfly wings. There was also a small bear ornament on each door.
The Signal Company, the parent firm of Mack Trucks, acquired a controlling share in Hayes Manufacturing in 1969. The company was renamed Hayes Trucks in 1971. In 1975, Signal sold the company to Paccar, which closed the Hayes plants.
Hayes logging.
In addition to operating the truck company, the founder's son, Donald Hayes, continued and expanded family logging operations, establishing Hayes Forest Services Limited in 1956. In 2006, Donald P. Hayes, President, and grandson of the founder, proudly accepted the award for being one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies - Public or Private.