Qualification testing of Portland's low floor light rail vehicle

In 1992 Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (Tri-Met) decided to procure the first low floor light rail vehicles (LFLRVs) in North America. Tri-Met chose 70% low-floor cars paired with 250 mm high platforms for Portland's predominately above-ground system. The 46 new cars will be fully compatible with the 26 existing high-floor Portland cars. Siemens Transportation Systems Mass Transit Division (STS/MTD) was chosen as the carbuilder through a negotiated procurement. Extensive qualification testing is required for the LFLRVs. This paper highlights four tests: truck frame fatigue, carbody compression, climate control, and ride quality. While the power truck design has been used before, the trailer truck design with its "idler" axle was relatively untested, and so this component's fatigue performance was considered critical. The purpose of the carbody compression test was to verify the finite element analysis and the LFLRV's structural integrity under a buff load of 756 kN. This test was conducted in Germany and resulted in several modifications to the structure. The climate control system in the car was qualified at the Canadian National Laboratory in Ottawa. Ambient and indoor conditions including temperature and humidity extremes with and without specific passenger loads were simulated. Ride quality tests will be performed on Tri-Met's track in the Portland area. Vibration measurements will be taken for a variety of conditions at several locations in the car and the data analyzed according to ISO 2361 requirements and compared to earlier simulations.