Materiály o BRT systémech a vozidlech "street car" na bázi Volvo, Irisbus a APTS a dalších naleznete v této rubrice Alternativy.

18.11. 2006 bylo představeno první vozidlo Phileas ve francouzském Douai 3000 obyvatelům, médiím a odborníkům. Kontrakt, který byl uzavřen v roce 2005, zahrnuje deset 18m a dvě 24m vozidla, která budou dodána do konce roku 2007.

Region Douai má 200,000 obyvatel. Street car Phileas bude nasazen na 12 km lince, okolo které bydlí 70,000 obyvatel. Linka bude mít 21 zastávek po 400 metrech a bude v provozu od 5 do 22 hodin po 10 minutách. Infrastruktura bude upravena podobně jako v Eindhovenu. Jméno “Évéole” získal systém jako variaci na jméno boha větru a má evokovat jemnost (nízký hluk a emise), pohodlí a harmonii (vzhledem k městu).

Představené vozidlo bylo vyvíjeno 15 měsíců. Po zkouškách a homologacích bude plný provoz se všemi vozy spuštěn na jaře 2008. U vozidla Phileas jsou spojeny prvky tramvaje či metra s flexibilitoou a nízkými provozními náklady autobusu. Plně nízkopodlažní Phileas pro Douai bude dodán s paralelním hybridním pohonem GM Allison.

APTS

(APTS patří do skupiny VDL Bus & Coach, která vyrobila v roce 2005 cca 1743 autobusů 1,240 podvozků a 370 mini- a midibusů. Kromě APTS patří do skupiny VDL Berkhof Heerenveen, VDL Berkhof Valkenswaard, VDL BOVA, VDL Bus International, VDL Jonckheere, VDL Kusters, VDL Coach & Bus Center a Busland. VDL je 70% vlastník APTS.)

Z TZ VDL Bus & Coach bv Advanced Public Transport Systems BV vybral a přeložil BUSportál. Kompletní TZ v angličtině.

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New generation Phileas in France

Last Saturday, 18 November 2006, the first Phileas was presented in Douai in France. At the beginning of July 2005, a contract was signed between APTS and SMTD (Syndicat Mixte des Transports du Douais) from the Douai agglomeration in the north of France. The contract, which was for the delivery of 12 Phileas vehicles with a length of 18 metres, had been changed in the meantime to 10 vehicles with a length of 18 metres and 2 vehicles with a length of 24 metres. The Phileas vehicles will be delivered to SMTD in the last quarter of 2007.

Phileas presentation More than 3000 local inhabitants, the regional and national press, TV and many industry professionals showed an interest in the Phileas presentation. There were appearances by well-known regional and national artists throughout the whole of Saturday. Musicians from the area played at a large number of locations throughout the city. At 20.00 the time came for the “moment suprème”: the Phileas was driven out accompanied by fire eaters and fire jugglers. On Sunday, 19 November, the vehicle was shown to the inhabitants of the villages and towns where the Phileas would be running. This allowed the inhabitants of Douai, Sin-le-Noble, Dechy and Guesnain to get to know their new futuristic public transport vehicle.

Douai

The Douai region has about 200,000 inhabitants. In Douai the Phileas trams will run on a 12 km. route. About 70,000 people live in the area around the route. The route will be equipped with 21 stops with an average distance between the stops of 400 metres. The Phileas will ride 7 days per week from 5 in the morning until 10 at night with a frequency of 1 vehicle every 10 minutes. In order to make the operation of this high-quality public transport system possible, the infrastructure will be completely modified in Douai just as in Eindhoven.

New name for public transport system

At the same time as the unveiling of the Phileas, the new name for public transport in the Douai area was also presented: “Évéole”. This is a variation of Éole, the Greek god of the winds. The wind always blows, without impediment and without effort. The name Évéole therefore has an image of softness (little noise or pollution), comfort (accessibility and fittings) and harmony (fitting into the townscape). These characteristics could be expected from such an innovative public transport system as this.

The Phileas project for Douai

The Phileas which was presented was developed in 15 months. After the presentation, this vehicle will be used for testing and for homologation. At the beginning of next year, the second 18-metre vehicle and the first 24-metre vehicle will be ready. When the other vehicles are delivered at the end of 2007 they will also be subjected to all sorts of tests on the final route. The vehicles will then operate in accordance with the schedule in March / April 2008.

The technology of the Phileas

The Phileas is an innovative and futuristic vehicle in which APTS has combined the positive features of a tram/metro system with the flexibility and low operating costs of a bus system. The Phileas can best be compared to a tram with tyres and virtual rails. The Phileas for Douai will be delivered with a parallel hybrid drive from GM Allison of the USA unlike the vehicles in Eindhoven which are built with a series hybrid drive. In addition to the development of this completely new drive system, the interior and the exterior are also completely new. An example is the styling of the front. Just like a tram, the driver’s cab is separated from the passenger area. The light-weight bodywork of the Phileas consists of sandwich polyester panels and sandwich aluminium panels. The floor is 100% low and even. The modular construction makes it possible to place the wide doors at any position and on both sides. In the parallel hybrid drive the power is passed directly from the diesel engine to the rear axle. Extra electric motors are built into the transmission which operate if extra power is requested during, for example, acceleration. These electric motors act as generators during braking and the power is fed back to the battery pack. All the wheels of the Phileas are steerable so that the vehicle is very manoeuvrable. The Phileas is also equipped with a conductance system. The route to be followed is preprogrammed into the computer of the vehicle The magnets implanted in the roadbed serve as a reference for the vehicle’s position. Deviations caused by external influences, such as wind, can be compensated for.

APTS

VDL Bus & Coach, to which APTS belongs, manufactured about 1743 buses in the year 2005 for public transport and for the coach sector, 1,240 chassis modules and 370 mini- and midi-buses. In addition to APTS, VDL Berkhof Heerenveen, VDL Berkhof Valkenswaard, VDL BOVA, VDL Bus International, VDL Jonckheere, VDL Kusters, VDL Coach & Bus Center and Busland also belong to VDL Bus & Coach. VDL is a 70% major shareholder in APTS and other shareholders are Simac (18%) and the Brabantse Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij (12%).

PR VDL Bus & Coach bv Advanced Public Transport Systems BV