Citadis X05 Trams In Kaohsiung

On 12 January 2021, Alstom’s Citadis X05 trams have entered passenger service on the South Circular Light Rail line of Kaohsiung City in Taiwan. This launch follows their smooth operations on the existing first phase of Kaohsiung’s circular light rail line since early November 2020.

When fully opened, Kaohsiung’s circular light rail line will form a 22 km loop around the city via 37 stations. The first phase with 14 stations has been in service since October 2015, while the second phase comprising 23 stations has commenced partial operations with nine stations, spanning 12.8 km (known as the Kaohsiung South Circular Light Rail line) on 12 January 2021.

Alstom has been responsible for the design, delivery and commissioning of 15 Citadis X05 new-generation trams, power supply and energy storage equipment, which are fully interoperable with the city’s current network and planned extension. These are not only Alstom’s first trams operating in Taiwan, but also mark the inaugural Asian launch of its latest evolution of the Citadis range.

The Citadis trams run autonomously thanks to the Autonomy charging solution, combined with the Citadis Ecopack system of energy storage and catenary-free recharging system at each station. The trams also feature several new technologies, including permanent magnet motors, as well as optimised HVAC, which together reduce their energy consumption by 25 %.

The trams were manufactured at eight Alstom sites in France: La Rochelle was responsible for the design and assembly, Aix en Provence for the safety control system, Le Creusot for the bogies, Ornans for the traction motors, Tarbes for the traction equipment, Valenciennes for the interior design, Villeurbanne for the on-board electronics, and Vitrolles for the on-board power supply switching boxes (Citadis Ecoswitch). Alstom’s Sesto works in Italy was also involved for the traction system equipment, while the team in Taiwan is responsible for the onsite testing, training and warranty services.

We asked Alstom for principal technical data of the new Kaohsiung trams. We are waiting for reply.