C class Melbourne tram
From Free net encyclopedia
C class is the designation given to the Citadis trams used in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. These three-section low-floor electric trams were built by the transport company Alstom, and the first unit was delivered to the city in 2001, with the last units following in 2002. All C-class trams are operated by Yarra Trams.
The C class can be found almost exclusively on Melbourne's route 109, which is jointly operated from the Kew and Southbank depots. Occasionally, Citadis trams operate on routes 48, 96 and 112 if there is a shortage of rolling stock.
The futuristic Citadis trams are the first low floor trams in Melbourne, running exclusively on route 109, from Port Melbourne to the recently extended Box Hill. Sitting only 33 centimetres from the ground, these trams were built in France and commissioned out at the Preston, Workshops (in a Melbourne suburb, not the English town known as Preston). They feature ergonomic designs, panoramic windows and easy accessibility.
All C-class trams have an integral traction braking controller with a yellow button that drivers must click every thirty (originally every ten) seconds. If no action is taken an alarm sounds, and the tram comes to a complete standstill if it is ignored (see dead-man's vigilance device).
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