Loop Trolley’s First Refurbished Car Arrives
Following authorization received from the Federal Transit Administration last week, the Loop Trolley project took to the streets of the Delmar Loop for the beginning of System Integrated Testing (SIT), which is expected to continue through mid-January.
In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, visitors to the Loop were delighted to see Car 001 powering through the full 2.2 mile trolley system as Trolley Operators continued their training and familiarization with active-traffic interactions. This was the first time the electrically-powered vehicles have shared the road during regular business hours.
The testing phase began in earnest this week to test and assess the system as a whole, with special attention paid to powered interface with platforms, signalized intersections, switch points and safety mechanisms. Due to the stop-and-inspect nature of these activities, most testing was and will be conducted in the early morning, so as not to disrupt traffic.
Both the familiarization runs and test activities went exceptionally well, with no incidents or issues identified.
“It’s an incredibly exciting step for the project, in many different ways,” said Kevin Barbeau, Executive Director for the Loop Trolley Company.
“Just seeing them out on the street under their own power, pulling into Forest Park or moving past the many great businesses along Delmar, really drives home the benefits and potential of the entire project.”
Over the past two months, powered movement has been limited to the protected section of the alignment on Delmar between DeBaliviere Ave. and the historic Wabash Station at Delmar/Des Peres, and on DeBaliviere between Delmar and Forest Park Parkway, wherein the first class of Loop Trolley Operators have amassed approximately 40 hours of on-vehicle training.
For SIT, Training and Passenger Service, the trolleys will share the road with personal vehicles in the portion of the alignment west of the Des Peres Bridge on Delmar, and regularly interact with vehicles at intersections and driveways east of the Des Peres Bridge on Delmar, and on DeBaliviere. As the trolleys cannot veer to avoid obstacles, it is important that any vehicle parked on the street-running portion park against the curb, and that the vehicle be completely inside of the striped parking lane.
