Five New Trams

[triumph]

About August 2022 5 new LRVs equipped for partial wire free operation were ordered from CAF in Spain. The intent is to bolster the fleet for the opening of Stage 2A to Commonwealth Park and provide substitutes to enable existing LRVs to be progressively removed from service for retrofitting of partial wire free operating equipment. It is not clear to me whether the energy storage will be by supercapacitors (a la Newcastle) or batteries or a combination thereof. When these initial RVs were obtained it was said they were equipped for, not with, future wire free use needs. 

Little seems to have ben said on progress, but the whisper is that all are constructed, with one shipped and the rest in factory testing prior to shipment.

[Bus 400]

It's something I've been on the look out for. Especially with the new NSW Trainlink trains being built & shipped from the factory. I'm not sure how many vehicles on rails a ship can transport.

Stage 2A light rail is wire free though & is due in a couple of years. 

[L94UBbusfan]

A few questions. How does the "wire free" system on the new trams work? Is it like Newcastle's or is it different? Will the trams be identical to the current trams in service or will they be slightly different? Also why would they order the new trams so early before stage 2A is complete?

[Barry Drive]

Also why would they order the new trams so early before stage 2A is complete?

https://www.cmtedd.act.gov.au/open_government/inform/act_government_media_releases/chris-steel-mla-media-releases/2022/vehicle-contract-signed-as-canberra-light-rail-stage-2a-gets-the-green-light

Or you could actually read what's already been said above:

About August 2022 5 new LRVs equipped for partial wire free operation were ordered from CAF in Spain. The intent is to bolster the fleet for the opening of Stage 2A to Commonwealth Park and provide substitutes to enable existing LRVs to be progressively removed from service for retrofitting of partial wire free operating equipment.

[Barry Drive]

If this is the case, Tram 015 will be on one of these three ships:

• Höegh Trigger - due to arrive at Port Kembla 4 June
• Höegh Target - due to arrive at Port Kembla 19 June
• Höegh London - due to arrive at Port Kembla 30 June

After that, the next available ship is Höegh Trotter which departs Santander 11 June and arrives Port Kembla 20 July.

[Bus 400]

If this is the case, Tram 015 will be on one of these three ships:
• Höegh Trigger - due to arrive at Port Kembla 4 June
• Höegh Target - due to arrive at Port Kembla 19 June
• Höegh London - due to arrive at Port Kembla 30 June

After that, the next available ship is Höegh Trotter which departs Santander 11 June and arrives Port Kembla 20 July.

Minister for Making Announcements Chris announced first set is on Höegh London.
With a photo of Set 16.

[triumph]

Minister for Making Announcements Chris announced first set is on Höegh London.
With a photo of Set 16.

Something seems to have seriously interrupted Höegh London progress. It arrived Durban, South Africa on 17th June and 3 weeks later is still there!. Prior to that it was at Port Elizabeth, South Africa for 10 days!

Such long port stays seem extraordinary compared with the usual day or so.

[Bus 400]

By the looks of things there has been delays in Durban for most of 2024.

With higher delays recently according to https://www.gocomet.com/real-time-port-congestion/south-africa

[triumph]

Umm. Hoegh Trotter overtook Hoegh London at Durban with a Port stay of 2 days 5 hours. Trotter is now about halfway across the Indian Ocean to Fremantle.

Hoegh Berlin is due Port Kembla on Friday.

Sites where I looked mostly hide data behind paywalls or simply don't respond to query procedures. Thus I have not been able to confirm that Trotter called at Santander, and if berlin called at either Santander or Durban. That said I wonder if either is carrying one of the new Light Rail vehicles?

[Barry Drive]

As I mentioned earlier, Höegh Trotter is the next ship - due at Port Kembla 20 July.

... Berlin called at either Santander or Durban.

Since you asked, no, Höegh Berlin did not travel to Spain or South Africa. Its route was Southampton then across to USA, through the Panama Canal (presumably) then Auckland and Melbourne.

Following Trotter will be Trapper (3 Aug), Sydney (16 Aug) and Shanghai (21 Aug). There is then a month-long gap to Höegh St Petersburg arriving 23 September.

Can't say which of these will actually be carrying trams, but at least some of them will be.

[Snorzac]

A quick Google search revealed this....

https://www.algoafm.co.za/local/massive-damage-caused-to-car-carrier-berthed-at-port-of-port-elizabeth

Doesn't say the name of the ship or even the company but could shed some light on it

[triumph]

As I mentioned earlier, Höegh Trotter is the next ship - due at Port Kembla 20 July.
Since you asked, no, Höegh Berlin did not travel to Spain or South Africa. Its route was Southampton then across to USA, through the Panama Canal (presumably) then Auckland and Melbourne.

Following Trotter will be Trapper (3 Aug), Sydney (16 Aug) and Shanghai (21 Aug). There is then a month-long gap to Höegh St Petersburg arriving 23 September.

Can't say which of these will actually be carrying trams, but at least some of them will be.

Sorry, when I went back I saw the list, but the sentence regarding Trotter did not register again.
You seem to have access behind the paywalls or have found sites I did not. As mentioned, the several sites I looked in offered little in the way of previous ship voyage/activity beyond last and next port, unless, in some cases, one paid up.

Overall, this all started with becoming aware of the still unexplained abnormal delays of Hoegh London in two ports.

[triumph]

Hoegh London is finally back in action. Left Durban about a day ago sailing to Fremantle.

[Barry Drive]

Höegh Trotter is due at Port Kembla 20 July.

Following Trotter will be Trapper (3 Aug), Sydney (16 Aug) and Shanghai (21 Aug). There is then a month-long gap to Höegh St Petersburg arriving 23 September.

Some updates: Trotter arrived at Port Kembla on Monday (22 July).

Trapper is showing as 7 days behind its schedule, so now expected 10 August (or later).

Both Sydney and Shanghai are currently 3 days behind schedule, but have yet to arrive at South Africa so might be delayed further.

[triumph]

Fleetwiki shows that a new tram was delivered on 26th. Whilst, for convenience 'tram' is used, but shouldn't the entry in Fleetwiki monthly changes shown as T017, correctly be LRV017?
I thought Metro officially classified them as LRVs.

Hoegh London carrying another is now a day away from Melbourne - finally getting closer.

[Sylvan Loves Buses]

I don't think anyone really knows (or cares) what to call them lol. Like one of the crossings half way between stations has a sign referring to them as 'trams' so who really knows.

[triumph]

I don't think anyone really knows (or cares) what to call them lol. Like one of the crossings half way between stations has a sign referring to them as 'trams' so who really knows.

You are quite right about confusion, but I think the formal aspects such as Fleetwiki (which is a valuable historical record) should be careful of such details. CMET on their website consistently refer to LRV!

Just to add to the disparity, the Australian traffic regulations use the term 'tram' (historic Victorian, etc influence) and traffic law wise our LRVs are 'trams'. (Note: Most modern laws and regulations have a section called 'Dictionary' which defines the specific terminology of some words used in that particular item - thus the use of 'tram' for legal traffic management does not mean they are necessarily defined as 'tram' for other purposes. An LRV falls within the word 'tram' for traffic law purposes.)

Worse there is confusion around the world (and between Melbourne and Sydney) as to what is actually a 'metro' which in turn feeds into the definition of 'light rail'. Best not to go down that rabbit hole.

Finally, there has been/is a good reason locally for avoiding the word 'tram', particularly in more official circumstances. Those who oppose the whole light rail concept have resorted to pejoratively intended terms such as toy train, red rattler, tram, etc. The intention behind their use of 'tram' seems to be an effort to convey an impression of yesterday technology by evoking visions of Sydney 'O' class 'toast rack' and Melbourne 'W' class trams, and older.

Hopefully the term 'tram' will come to mean a modern 'light rail vehicle and system' in the local public mind, at which point the convenient use of the term 'tram' will not convey negative images.

[Barry Drive]

Whilst, for convenience 'tram' is used, but shouldn't the entry in Fleetwiki monthly changes shown as T017, correctly be LRV017?
I thought Metro officially classified them as LRVs.

Thanks for asking.

They are Trams, but also LRVs. This video gives the best explanation I've seen:

In summary: a Tram is a Light Rail Vehicle which can be legally operated on a roadway. (The question of whether it does or not is irrelevant, because it's the same vehicle either way. I'd also argue that the London Circuit route of Stage 2A does constitute on-road operations anyway.)

[triumph]

Hoegh London arrived at Port Kembla in the morning 3 days ago. It is now already in Brisbane. So another LRV (015 or 016 have been alluded to) should be here very soon, if not already.

[Barry Drive]

Shipping update:
• Höegh Trapper arrived at Port Kembla on 10 August, as expected
• Höegh Sydney arrived at Fremantle yesterday morning, and should arrive Port Kembla maybe Tuesday 27th
• Höegh Shanghai is due in Melbourne 23 August and then Port Kembla 24 August.