IRAQ: Turkish tourist tram and road train manufacturer Garatren has produced a retro-styled battery tramcar for a line being built in Baghdad.
Construction of a heritage-style tramway forms part of an initiative to regenerate Al-Rashid Street between Al-Maidan and Al-Rusafi squares as a cultural and commercial hub featuring environmentally friendly transport. Tracklaying was completed in December.
Turkish technology
The bidirectional, two-axle 1 435 mm gauge tram was developed in-house by Garatren, using components and software from Turkish domestic suppliers.
The styling is based on historic Société Franco-Belge trams used on tourist-oriented services in Istanbul, but the new vehicle incorporates modern technology including battery power, powerful air-conditioning and a modern cab including cameras instead of mirrors. It has a capacity of 60 passengers.
The 120 kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery offers a range of up to 150 km at a maximum speed of 20 km/h, with charging taking 4 to 10 h.
