TramStore21 Report

Building sustainable and efficient tram depots

for cities in the 21st century

Capacity of the Tram Stabling

& Maintenance Areas

TramStore21, 2012
Contents
Contents ..................................................................................................................... 2
Contacts of TramStore21 Partners ............................................................................. 3
Introduction................................................................................................................. 4
Applications by the partners ....................................................................................... 5
Blackpool Council ................................................................................................... 5
Le Grand Dijon........................................................................................................ 8
RET....................................................................................................................... 11
STIB ...................................................................................................................... 14
External applications ................................................................................................ 16
VDV Recommendation 823................................................................................... 16
Further Examples.................................................................................................. 17
Recommendation ..................................................................................................... 20

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Contacts of TramStore21 Partners
This is a list of resource people responsible for this issue within TramStore21
partnership.

The resource people are your experts in this field. They can work within your
organisation or at another local authority of your country or can be your consultant.

Name Organisation Department or Function E-mail

Department of Rolling Stock, vandeplasf@mivb.irisnet.

Fernand van de Plas STIB
Drawing Office be

Department of Tramway,
Jean-Franois Technical Department In
STIB colinetjf@mivb.irisnet.be
Colinet charge of technical equipment
new depot Haren 2 + Marconi

Direction of Infrastructures schildermansl@stib.

Lode Schildermans STIB
Project Manager irisnet.be

Daniela.Kirsch@iml.
Daniela Kirsch Fraunhofer IML Department of Logistic
fraunhofer.de

Henning Henning.Schaumann@
Fraunhofer IML Department of Logistic
Schaumann iml.fraunhofer.de

Ludovic Soleil Keolis Director Project Tramway lsoleil@keolis.com

Blackpool City Philip.Bowman@

Phil Bowman M&E Coordinator
Council blackpool.gov.uk

REM de Tender RET Project Manager REMdeTender@ret.nl

Technical Engineering Office -

Dick Huybens RET dhuybens@ret.nl
Project Manager
Introduction
The sizing of a new depot is a challenge. In order to provide enough space for future
demands, the dimensions of different areas has to be planned carefully.

The goal of this issue is to analyse the dimensions of tram depots and to recommend
the optimal layout. The issue focuses on the stabling and maintenance area. The
studies inform about current methods to measure dimensions and demonstrate
typical errors made during calculations.

The current estimation allocates a maximum size of 10% of the tram parking
dimensions for the maintenance area. Accordingly, if the depot includes a parking
area for 70 trams, the maintenance area should have the space needed for seven
trams.

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Applications by the partners
Blackpool Council
Description

There is an enclosed stabling area that will house 14 in service trams overnight and
when not required for service. A total of six trams can be accommodated in the
maintenance workshop at any time for more significant maintenance tasks.

Key figures

Blackpool Transport Services calculated the number of trams, which should be

accommodated. With 13 roads it would be possible to accommodate the proposed
fleet of 46 trams (16 new trams, 12 DD Balloon trams and 18 other older trams) and
possibly a further 8 tram spaces available at the ends of the roads accommodating
the new 32m vehicles, resulting in a total fleet of 54 trams.

However this assumes that the existing road length of 83m can be retained which
may not be feasible with larger radius curves in the depot fan. This would be likely to
reduce the total capacity to 41 with 25m radius curves.

Assumptions:

the depot area will remain at its present size in overall length and width

all existing tracks and pits will be removed and new trackwork and pits
installed

a width of 7.5m has been retained along the western boundary of the depot
for the substation, stores and offices

the width required per stabling road will be 4.0m between centrelines

no specific allowance has been made for structural columns

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 Blundell Street will be closed between Rigby Road and Hopton Street and
Hopton Street will be closed between Blundell Street and a point to be
defined to allow the wash and sand plants to be located on Blundell Street.

The existing depot has a stabling area with 17 roads. It is replaced by a new one with
13 roads. The stabling building has sufficient space for 14 new trams. It is envisaged
that two of the 16 trams will always be under heavy maintenance.

The tram specification calls for a 30m maximum length and width of 2.65m. A length
of 32m has been assumed to allow some leeway. Old trams have a length of
approximately 13m to 15m (twin cars are 26.4m).

The depot stabling roads are currently 85 m in length, allowing for a 2 m walkway
along the southern end of the depot. The usable stabling length is approximately
82m, allowing for curvature into the depot fan. One road will therefore accommodate
two 32 m new trams or five 15 m old trams. It has been assumed that a 1m gap will
be left between trams. In practice it may be feasible to accommodate six 13 m old
trams on one road. A total of 8 roads will be required to accommodate 16 new trams,
which leave 5 roads for old trams. A total of 25 (or possibly 30) old trams could
therefore be accommodated. It may also be possible to stable up to 8 old trams on
the roads being allocated to the new trams for storage etc.

The existing depot fan includes some curves with a probable 18 m radius. The new
depot fan will require an increased radius of at least 20 m and possibly 25 m. This
would have the effect of reducing the length of stabling roads from 83 m to about 70
m. In this case one road would accommodate two 32 m new trams or four 15 m old
trams or five 13 m old trams.

The existing fleet consists of 86 trams (not all operational) including single deck,
double deck, illuminated trams, vintage trams and works cars. It is assumed that the
12 old trams required for Pleasure Beach to Thornton Gate service will be Balloon
type double deckers.

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 Figure 1: Layout Blackpool tram depot Rigby Road

Figure 2: Layout Blackpool Starr Gate (Maintenance area for 6 trams and Stabling for 14 trams)

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Le Grand Dijon
Description

The property being chosen for the construction of the new tram depot had been used
by SNCF in the past. However, this site has already been developed before and
some of these buildings have landmark status. Therefore Le Grand Dijon has been
obliged to leave these buildings as they were and to incorporate them into the new
depot plan.

Key figures

In a first step, the size of the Centre for Operations and Maintenance (CEM) in Dijon
is planned in a way to allow storage, servicing and maintenance of 32 trams of 33 m
and 50 trams of 33 m in a later step. It could also accommodate trams of 43 m, if
needed.

Figure 3: Dijon layout

The tracks of Dijon tramway storage area are not crossing (one entry for trains). It
consists of 7 sidings, each allowing the storage of 5 trains of 33 m.

Three additional sidings will allow the stabling of 15 additional trains of 33 m at a later
stage.

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The tracks of the maintenance hall of Dijon tramway are not crossing (only one entry
for trains). It consists of 8 tracks: 4 tracks on bridges with pit

1 track on slab with bridges

1 track to lift the bodies in order to exchange bogies

1 track for pit lathe

1 track for body repair and painting adjustments.

Figure 4: Dijon workshop layout

The pit lane with bridges is designed for corrective and preventive maintenance of
rolling stock.

The number of pit lanes including bridges for corrective maintenance is based on the
annual mileage of the trains (approximately 68.000 km per year per train), their
MKBF and their maintenance plan. Two tracks have been considered necessary for
corrective maintenance.

At a later stage, when operating with 50 trains, an additional pit lane with bridge will
be needed for corrective operations.

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The number of pit lanes with bridges for preventive maintenance has been defined by
calculating the organisation of preventive maintenance on weekdays (250 days per
year) considering the use of these lanes for scheduled maintenance as well (removal
/ installation of bodies) which resulted in two tracks.

At a later stage, when operating with 50 trains, an additional pit track with bridge will
be needed for the preventive operations.

In addition to these four pit lanes on bridge, one slab track with bridge has been
planned for specific operations and changes.

The hoistway allows lifting the bodies of tram to exchange bogies for preventive or
corrective maintenance. It is a slab track where the lifting body is elevated by lifting
columns. This track is extended into the specialised workshop of major mechanical
maintenance in alignment with the working area for bogies. The bogies are lead
through this track into the workshop.

The pit lathe is installed on a dedicated track. A pit in front of the lathe is used to
reset the chassis depending on the working height of the wheel, avoiding the transfer
to other tracks after each operation.

A track for body recovery and painting is installed for trams involved in an accident.
Control points are anchored to the floor to assist assembly and maintenance of
trams. The painting cabin is situated on this track.

Experiences

The further development of the business has to be considered from the beginning of
this project. A future extension of the tram network should not demand major
changes of the depots characteristics.

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RET
Description

Beverwaard depot is a tram stocking and maintenance area that will be opened in
Beverwaard district of Rotterdam in June 2011. This depot will replace the depots at
Hilledijk and Kralingen. All RET trams will therefore be housed at Beverwaard depot.

Figure 5: Beverwaard layout

Key figures

The Beverwaard site has an extremely advanced workshop and storage depot for
approximately 100 trams. A P+R roof parking facility provides space for some 500
vehicles. The following outlines present the facts and figures with regard to the tram
depot at Beverwaard.

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General information

size of area 31.600 square metres

P+R roof parking 12.300 square metres 500 vehicles

storage 12.400 square metres 95 trams

workshop facilities 5.650 square metres

stocks facilities 215 square metres

offices 400 square metres

built-up surface area 19.700 square metres

pile-supported area 22.970 square metres

piles 2.845

energy poles/masts 515.

Figure 6: Beverwaard layout

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Technical figures

tracks 4.000 m

switchpoints 47

contact wires 6.500 m

messenger wires 1.400 m

catenary masts 93

lubrication plants 6

central shaft system 800 m

traction cable 2.300 m

central control units 6

Advantages and disadvantages

The interval times were shortened; therefore more trams can be maintained. Test
drives at location are possible.

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STIB
Description

The master plan for Marconi includes the tram depot, sports facilities and a green
buffer zone between the two areas.

The depot consists of three main areas: maintenance hall, stabling area and
administration building.

Key figures

Figure 7: Marconi layout with adjacent sports area

The recommendations were to build a new depot outside the city with sufficient
capacity since the existing depots are too small (capacity of 20 to 30 trams).

The Marconi depot in Brussels obtains a capacity of 75 trams in the stabling area and
15 trams in the maintenance area.

310 employees will be linked to the depot with a capacity of 100 employees working
at the same time. Of these 100 employees 60 are working as drivers, 25 as
mechanics and 15 as administration employees.

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The stabling area will be 11,752 square metres, the maintenance area being 8145
square metres.

The Marconi depot is planned as a low energy facility fitted with green electricity. The
roof should be equipped with roof greening.

Advantages and disadvantages

The capacity to store light rail trams is limited to 75 trams due to terrain restrictions.

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External applications
VDV Recommendation 823
The German VDV, an alliance of transport companies, proposes several layout
suggestions when planning a depot. These can be divided into global and special
recommendations. Global recommendations are the consideration of an internal
transport and storage concept, a traffic infrastructure concept and a parking space
concept.

For the track construction it is recommended to avoid track crossings through anti-
clockwise vehicle driving (right driven tracks) and it is advised to connect the different
depot units directly (see figure 8) achieving more efficiency.1

Figure 8: Recommended layout2

1
cf. VDV Recommendation 823: Recommendation on the Design of Depots for LRVs and Tramcars,
Kln 10/01
2
Based on: VDV Recommendation 823: Recommendation on the Design of Depots for LRVs and
Tramcars, Kln 10/01, page 15

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Further Examples
Tram depot Braunschweig (Germany)

The depot in the German city Braunschweig built in 2008; it is 70,000 square metres
in size and includes 32 switches and 4100 m of tracks.

2200 square metres of the area are used as repair shop. It consists of seven units: a
general maintenance unit, two multi functional repair units, a small repair unit, a
corrective maintenance unit, a bogie regrade unit and a paint work unit. Inside the
repair shop there is also a washing plant fitted with biological water treatment, a
rectifier substation and waste and spare parts storage.

Beside the repair shop a large stabling area is also located there. The area allows for
45 light rail vehicles to be stored; two track harps enable the transit of vehicles. To
avoid noise emission the vehicle storage is inside by a hall.

3
Figure 9: Braunschweig Layout

3
Based on: http://www.braunschweiger-verkehrs-ag.de, last visit: 20.04.2009

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Tram Depot Nuremberg (Germany)

Opened in 2003, the depot is constructed to maintain and shelter 52 vehicles. The
depot has a maximum capacity of 76 vehicles. The workshop building (5600 square
metres) and the parking area (12000 square metres) make up about a quarter of the
entire area and are both completely under roof. The maintenance area consists of
three general areas, two multi functional repair units, a bogie regrade and lifting unit,
paint and steel work unit. The additional service workshop is open all-day and offers
two multifunctional repair units, a small repair unit, gear oil maintenance and an
automatic washing plant (using rain water).4

Tram depot Nice (France)

The most notable specification of the trams in Nice is the battery used to support the
tram operating inside the inner city, where it is not supplied by pantographs. Hence
battery control and maintenance is part of the work within the depot. The depot also
contains a storage and cleaning area and an area for regular maintenance and
repair. Beside these the future depot represents a connection between different
means of transport (pedestrians, car, bus and tram). The yard track of the depot has
a capacity for 28 trams of 33 m or 21 trams of 44 m. The washing facilities are eco-
friendly and obtain a recycling rate of 60%.

4
cf. www.vag.de, last visit: 20.04.2009

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 5
Figure 10: Nice Layout

Tram depot Manchester (Great Britain)

The tram system of Manchester is supported by two depots. One of them is situated
at Queens Road. It provides facilities to stable and maintain up to 44 light rail
vehicles. The total storage space for trams is 6.100 square metres in size.
Maintenance operations within the depot are scheduled routine maintenance, testing,
recommissioning and roof examinations. The other depot is located in Trafford and
provides an additional stabling capacity for 40 light rail vehicles. The future capacity
should be increase up to 95 light rail vehicles LRVs.

5
cf. Bauwelt: Die Linie in Nizza. Das Depot- und Werkstattgebude der Straenbahn in Nizza, 25/2008,
pages 14-25

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Recommendations
For the construction of new depots, traffic enterprises are often assigned the
corresponding sites. Therefore, the depot plan has to be adapted to the property and
not the other way round. A comparison of the depots becomes more difficult due to
the fact that the partners operate fleets of different sizes and have distinct
requirements for their depots. Therefore it is useful to collect and present the
problems the partners experienced and the solutions found.

The following table offers a comprehensive overview of all partners depots capacity
key figures.

Specification STIB (Marconi) RET Blackpool Dijon

Bus & tramway :
Area Maintenance Area [m] 7.735 5.650 2.525
13 500
Stabling Area [m] 11.752 12.300 2.600 Tramway : 9 800
Warehouse Area [m] 410 215 n.a. n.a.
Offices & Welfare Area [m] 1.881 400 n.a. 3.200
Additional Space [m] 1.018 1.035 650 2.100
Total [m] 22.796 31.600 5.775 28.600
Area under Roof Total [m] 22.796 19.700 5.775 28.600
Tracks Quantity Maintenance Tracks [#] 9 5 3x 2 8
Stabling Tracks [#] 14 17 7x 2 7
Sidetracks [#] 3 2 1 3
Total [#] 26 26 21 16
Length Maintenance Tracks
Tracks Length 780 450 3 x 100 45
[m]
Length Stabling Tracks [m] 3.890 3.000 3 x 75 175
Length Sidetracks [m] 180 650 60 620
Total [m] 5.375 4.000 585 2.205
Switches Total [#] 41 47 7 21
Trams in Stabling Area Operation Capacity [#] 75 95 14 35
Maximum Capacity [#] 90 100 14 50
Trams in Maintenance
Average [#] 7 5 4 4
Area
Maximum Capacity [#] 15 8 6 8
Trams in Depot Total [#] 75 95 18 33
Length of the trams Total [m] n.a. 3.040 n.a. 33

Figure 11: Capacity key figures overview

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