Stirling City Government proudly announced the arrival of Australia’s first Trackless Tram at its Administration Centre on September 23.
According to the press release, the 30-meter tram came from Chinese maker CRRC in Shanghai. Its successful landing on the local roads of Stirling marks the imminent launch of the trial program among its partners, Curtin University, ITSG, CRRC, and Shanghai Electric.
What is a Trackless Tram?
Trackless Trams are an emerging transportation technology originating from Europe and China, according to The Conversation. It carried technological advancements from high-speed rail and integrated them into a bus.
It apparently eliminates the standard buses’ noise and emissions with its electric traction and batteries. It also has autonomous driving technology through GPS and LIDAR features.
The Trackless Tram offers efficient and sustainable features that may aid the City in establishing clean energy transportation. Moreover, it is apparently the most recent clean energy mid-tier transport technology.
“The tram will connect people to busy, vibrant areas, creating better accessibility and generating urban redevelopment within the Scarborough Beach Road Activity Corridor.”
City of Stirling
Trial details
Several experts will assess the Trackless Tram and its technologies to identify its potential implementation across Scarborough Beach Road. They will determine if Trackless Trams can really be an effective alternative to light rails in the country.
The partners aim to begin the Trackless Tram trial in the next few weeks until November. The program will allow citizens and stakeholders to ride the tram and join some user experience tests for the trial.
Stirling City Government and its event partners and sponsors will also launch the Net Zero Transit Symposium on November 21-22 at Rendezvous Scarborough.
Significance
The Driven indicated that the partners initially announced the trial program in early 2022. The federal government pledged $2 million under the Urban Congestion Fund to back the project.
Stirling strongly believes that trackless trams are substantially less disruptive and cheaper to produce without compromising the light rail’s common benefits.
Trackless trams can also urge locals to discard their traditional cars and support public transport. In effect, it can significantly reduce the number of cars on the road and cut transportation-induced carbon emissions. It aims to facilitate discussions among national and international experts regarding advanced net zero transit alternatives and took the opportunity to present the Trackless Tram in operation.
See Also:
- London has launched new electric tram-buses that charge in just 10 minutes
- Sweden develops the world’s first permanent e-motorway for electric vehicles
- Light EV fleet surged to 83,000 units in Australia in 2022; BEVs accounted for 79%
- Electric cars getting more affordable in Australia, study reveals
- Australia may incentivize solar-based electric vehicle charging
The Trackless Tram is undoubtedly a more sustainable transportation option than traditional cars. Its net-zero emission quality will aid Stirling in cutting C02 emissions in its transportation sector. It can also open new job opportunities for local residents, potentially boosting the economy.
