Wright StreetCar explained

Wright StreetCar
Manufacturer:Wrightbus
Production:2006–2009
Assembly:Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Floortype:Low floor
Doors:2 or 3
Wheelbase:NaNinches (F)[1]
280inches (R)
Length:61feet
Width:99.5inches
Height:134inches
Weight:48600lb
Predecessor:Wright Eclipse Fusion

The Wright StreetCar is an articulated bus developed by Wrightbus and Volvo for FirstGroup. It was built on the Volvo B7LA chassis, featuring a separate driver compartment at the front, resembling to some extent similar designs in Europe.

It features wrap-around seating arrangement at the rear. They were designed to mimic trams and used on FirstGroup's FTR services with high frequencies and dedicated stops to further enforce the impression of a premium service.[2] [3] [4]

Operations

United Kingdom

The StreetCar's only UK customer is First Bus, where they were introduced on First York's route 4 between Acomb and the University of York on 8 May 2006, after the City of York Council had made significant alterations to the road layout to accommodate the new vehicles.[5] [6] [7] Further examples entered service with First Leeds,[8] on First Capital Connect's Luton Airport Parkway railway station to Luton Airport shuttle and with First Cymru in Swansea.[9] [10]

York's StreetCars were withdrawn in 2012, following the end of a five-year contract which the city council refused to renew.[11] These StreetCars were transferred over to Leeds to operate on the Leeds-Bradford bus corridor,[12] [13] but StreetCars there were later withdrawn in 2016. Swansea's StreetCars, which caused major road layout changes around the city centre to fit the buses, of which would later be blamed as a cause for two fatal accidents, were withdrawn in 2015 due to them proving too expensive to run.[14]

United States

In 2008/09, 50 StreetCar Rapid Transit Vehicles were built for Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada in the United States for use on the RTC Transit.[15] [16] [17] Developed from the Wright StreetCar, they were built on Carrosserie Hess chassis. They first arrived in December 2008.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. STURAA Test: 12 Year / 500,000 mile bus from Wright Group Ltd., Model Streetcar RTV (PTI-BT-R0906) . October 2009 . Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, Bus Testing and Research Center . 20 November 2020.
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20061109121136/http://www.wrightbus.com/newspopup.asp?item_id=135 "StreetCar from the Wright Group"
  3. https://web.archive.org/web/20061109121547/http://www.wrightbus.com/newspopup.asp?item_id=147 "StreetCar creates Desire"
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20071215134554/http://www.busandcoach.com/newsstory.aspx?id=236 "First confirms orders for 39 Streetcars"
  5. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/north_yorkshire/4739844.stm City first to use new bus fleet
  6. https://web.archive.org/web/20160310133110/http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/7982007.It_s_the_ftr_of_city_travel/?ref=arc It's the ftr of city travel
  7. https://web.archive.org/web/20141021160947/http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/archive/2006/05/08/7982602.The_ftr_of_city_travel_arrives/?ref=arcThe_ftr_of_city_travel_arrives%2F The ftr of city travel arrives
  8. News: Jagdev . Rav . 29 August 2007 . Leeds partnership: Spirit of Leeds . dead . Bus & Coach Professional . https://web.archive.org/web/20070911082453/http://www.busandcoach.com/featureStory.aspx?id=1543 . 11 September 2007 . 16 October 2022.
  9. News: . 30 January 2008 . StreetCars upgrade Luton airport link . dead . Bus & Coach Professional . https://web.archive.org/web/20090116015146/http://www.busandcoach.com/newsStory.aspx?id=1788 . 16 January 2009 . 5 August 2018.
  10. News: . 16 September 2009 . First's Swansea Metro service launched . dead . Bus & Coach Professional . https://web.archive.org/web/20180805233817/http://www.busandcoach.com/news/articles/archive/first-s-swansea-metro-service-launched/ . 5 August 2018 . 5 August 2018.
  11. News: . 5 January 2012 . Row over York StreetCars . dead . Bus & Coach Professional . https://web.archive.org/web/20120108213322/http://www.busandcoach.com/newspage.aspx?id=6304&categoryid=0 . 8 January 2012 . 2 October 2021.
  12. News: . 15 June 2012 . First to redeploy York ftr's to Leeds-Bradford corridor in local authority backed project . TransportXtra . 2 October 2021.
  13. News: . First to launch new StreetCar buses in Bradford . . Bradford . 24 October 2012 . 2 October 2021.
  14. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-33254289 Bendy buses in Swansea to be scrapped over cost
  15. https://web.archive.org/web/20061109120306/http://www.wrightbus.com/newspopup.asp?item_id=195 StreetCar Breaks New Ground For The Wright Group
  16. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/news/wrightbus-celebrates-31m-deal-for-its-new-streetcar-28449628.html Wrightbus celebrates £31m deal for its new StreetCar
  17. https://www.busworld.org/articles/detail/362 Fifty Wrightbus New StreetCar RTV Vehicles for Southern Nevada

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