China’s trackless tram, known as the ART, could be relevant to Iran because the manufacturer behind it already supplies metro carriages in Tehran and other major Iranian cities.
How the trackless tram works
The hybrid tram/bus runs on white painted road markings and operates on specially designated lanes with a driver providing assistance. The semi-autonomous system has been described as “a bus, tram and train rolled into one.” Battery-powered, the ART is designed to carry 307 passengers across three carriages and can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour, the designers say. CRRC, which began developing the ART in 2013 to help ease severe urban congestion, is also promoting it as cleaner than conventional metros and trams.
CRRC is currently setting up a 6.5-kilometer track in Zhuzhou and hopes to have the ART operational by next year. The system does not require the installation of a traditional tram infrastructure, which typically runs into millions of dollars.
In Iran, CRRC is already the main provider of metro carriages for Tehran and other major cities. Tehran’s Bus Rapid Transit system runs along some of the capital’s busiest corridors; the key distinction between that system and the ART is that the ART is a hybrid, semi-autonomous vehicle rather than a conventional BRT bus.
It is too early to say whether the ART will be implemented in Iran, but given the close relationship between CRRC and Tehran Municipality, it could arrive in the not too distant future.
