The second phase of the mid-life refresh of the South Yorkshire Supertram tram fleet has commenced with attention now turning to the running gear.
The decision to undertake this work has been made because of the long-term maintenance plan, routine monitoring and condition assessment and K.P.I. trends, continued reliability.
The project will return all underfloor running condition to an as new condition with Supertram maintenance staff and specialist contracting companies for the major components undertaking the work.
The first tram was withdrawn in May 2009 for the work to take place and it is planned that all trams will be dealt with in three years and six months.
The underfloor project is an out of sight refresh project and deals with equipment most people never see. The running gear will be overhauled from the chassis down to the rails. The following areas will be dealt with:
* Tram Chassis (including work to steam clean, shot blast, anti-corrosion treat, prime and paint)
* Bogies (to be fully stripped down before all parts are either replaced or overhauled)
Major components such as gearboxes, motors, wheelsets and bogie frames will be overhauled off site and re-assembled at the Nunnery Street Depot.
23 trams will still be needed for service on a daily basis, and with one tram at a time being “underfloor refreshed” this will be out of 24 trams – the same availability as was needed during the initial refresh program.
* Full details of the technical work going on “under the floor” is available on the Supertram website – link below.
Source: South Yorkshire Supertram