S700 Trams In Charlotte In Service

Siemens Mobility’s Type S700 trams delivered to the Charlotte Area Transit system (CATS) in the United States are now in revenue service. They were ordered in late 2016 when the Charlotte City Council chose Siemens Mobility to build six new S700s for CATS, the public transit system operated across Mecklenburg County and four other surrounding counties in North Carolina.

Designed with advanced hybrid technology that features an innovative battery storage system, they run wirelessly through the heart of the city, maintaining a catenary-free zone in the central business district, while offering all the same sustainability benefits as when operating with overhead wires. The new S700 trams joined the current CATS fleet of 42 Type S70 light rail vehicles.

Each new tram features a hybrid wireless technology allowing the vehicle to run both on and off-wire via an Onboard Energy Storage System (OESS). The latter includes a modular design that can be updated as battery technology evolves. The battery-storage and energy-saving technology was first demonstrated in San Diego and allows the battery to recharge when the vehicle is connected to the catenary. The vehicles operate at speeds up to 40 km/h and are capable of carrying nearly 195 passengers.

The new S700s also include traffic light preemption, a pedestrian-friendly front mask and an automatic passenger counter with enhanced 3D infrared sensor technology. The vehicles were built at the Siemens Mobility work in Sacramento and run on the second phase of the CityLYNX Gold Line, replacing the legacy green and yellow vehicles. The new phase adds 4 km to the Gold Line, expanding it to 6.4 km in length and adding 11 new stops.