Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Technical Review Vol. 50 No. 4 (December 2013)
1People-friendly, Eco-friendly Next-generation Tram(Light Rail Vehicle)

L a n d Tr a n s p o r ta t i o n S y s t e m s
B u s i n e s s D e pa r t m e n t
Business & Marketing Division
C o m m e r c i a l Av i a t i o n &Tr a n s p o r ta t i o n S y s t e m s

The LRV (Light Rail Vehicle), which takes advantage of a tramway's characteristics such asease of use, zero emissions and high energy efficiency, has evolved its user-friendliness and is
attracting attention as a next-generation method of daily transportation for urban residents.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) developed an independent wheel bogie that is essential in
the implementation of a 100% low-floor, barrier-free LRV and delivered the first domestic
fully-flat 100% low-floor LRV, the Green Mover Max, to Hiroshima Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
together with Kinki Sharyo Co., Ltd. and Toyo Denki Seizo K.K. in the U3 Project in 2005. MHI
has delivered the “JTRAM R” (called 1000-series Vehicle in Hiroshima), which carries on thebarrier-free characteristics of Green Mover Max while having a smaller length. This document
presents an overview of the new system.

|1. Specifications
Table 1 shows the general specifications of the 1000-series.
Table 1 Main specifications of 1000-series vehicles
Configuration
Track gauge
Electric mode
Number of passengers
WeightSizeBogie
Main motor
Driving system
Control system
Brake unit
Auxiliary power unit
Floor
Running speed
Acceleration
Deceleration

3 car, 2 bogie, low-floor vehicle
1435 mm
DC600 V86 (33 seats provided)
24.3 t
L 18600 x W 2496 x H 3645 mm
Independent wheel bogie
100 kW 3-phase induction motor x 4 units
Right angle Cardan type
VVVF inverter control
Regenerative and generative electric brake, spring typehydraulic disc brake system, track brake
Static power inverter AC220 V/DC24 V
Exit/entrance 330 mm, aisle 360 mm
40 km/h (design maximum speed 80 km/h)
3.5 km/h/s
Normal 4.8 km/h/s, emergency 5.2 km/h/s

The 1000 series is 18.6 m long and has a 3 car, 2 bogie configuration. This compact systemenabled the introduction of the low-floor LRV to rail lines where long systems cannot enter andonly single car systems ran. As a result, low-floor systems can run on all lines of Hiroshima
Electric Railway Co., Ltd., which led to improved service.

|2. Features
2.1

Independent Wheel Bogie

MHI developed the independent wheel bogie (Figure 1) and realized a floor height that is
low enough that it doesn’t require steps in order to improve the safety and ease of boarding andalighting at tram stops. The right and left wheels of ordinary cars are connected with each other byMitsubishi Heavy Industries Technical Review Vol. 50 No. 4 (December 2013)
2an axle shaft, and therefore the floor height depends on the axle shaft height. The independent
wheel bogie that MHI developed eliminates the axle shaft, and enables significant lowering of thefloor. As a result, the exit/entrance floor height 330 mm has been realized (Figure 2), enabling
step-less boarding into the car from tram stops. In addition, the bogie structure allows an aisle
width of 880 mm in the area directly on the bogie and contributes to the smooth movement ofpassengers boarding and alighting.

Figure 1 Independent wheel bogie

Figure 2 Comparison of ease of boarding/alighting between
bogie structures

2.2

Articulated Car

A central car, with no bogie floats between the front and rear cars that are equipped with thebogie, is connected to the two cars at the articulations. When running through a curve, the bogie
does not turn horizontally and separately from the car body, but each car swivels with thearticulation as a fulcrum. Therefore smoothness in running through the tight curves unique totramways can be attained (Figure 3). The minimum curve radius that the system can run through is
18.6 m.

Figure 3 Comparison of running through a curve between asingle car and 1000-series

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Technical Review Vol. 50 No. 4 (December 2013)
3

2.3

Train Information System

The 1000-series is equipped with the Train Information System, with the monitor mounted
on the control platform. The control platform console was made compact by centralizing the lessfrequently used switches and instruments, such as the voltmeter and the ammeter, into the monitor(Figure 4). Driving and maintenance are also supported through the settings, maintenance andtrouble indications that use the monitor. As a result, the work load of the driver, who is responsible
for both conducting and driving, is reduced.

Figure 4

2.4

Control platform and instrument panel

Driver Only Operation

The 1000-series is equipped with a CCTV (video image monitoring) system that displays on
a monitor images taken by cameras mounted outside of the car and installed near the doors inside
the car to allow the driver to confirm the situation in the rear. In addition, the switches for door
operation, announcements and other functions are centralized on the control platform. Thus thesystem can be operated by the driver only.

2.5

Passenger Cabin

The design of the passenger cabin having brown seats provides calm space. There is one
wheelchair space near the door of the central car. It can also be used as a stroller space. A guidance
sheet for the wheelchair/stroller space is affixed on the floor in order to mark it clearly (Figure 5).
LED lighting is used in order to reduce electric power consumption. There is an LCD
information display system on the back of the control platform that clearly shows information
about transfers, surrounding facilities, fares and other pertinent facts.

Figure 5 Passenger cabin and wheelchair space|3. Future Prospects
Now MHI has a 100% low-floor LRV lineup consisting of the 5 car, 3 bogie system withmass transport capability (30 m long, 149 passengers, operated with a conductor) and the 3 car, 2bogie system, which is compact and can be operated by a driver only (18.6 m long, 86 passengers).
As a result, MHI can provide a wider array of solutions to tramway operating companies in variouscities and new LRT plans. We expect that our 100% low-floor LRVs will be introduced in many
cities in the future.