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The Flexity Freedom is a light rail vehicle that will be operated by the Toronto Transit Commission on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT and on the Ion LRT in Waterloo Region. They will be built by Bombardier Transportation in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Flexity Freedom
Manufacturer	Bombardier Transportation
Built at	Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Family name	Flexity
Entered service	expected 2017
Number under construction	196 ordered (182+14)
Capacity	56 (seats) 130 (standees) 4 (accessible spaces) 251 (total capacity)
Operators	Toronto Transit Commission, Grand River Transit
Lines served	Eglinton Crosstown line, Ion LRT
Specifications
Car length	30.8 m (101 ft 1 in)
Width	2.65 m (8 ft 8 in)
Height	3.6 m (11 ft 10 in)
Doors	8-12 (4-6 on each side)
Articulated sections	5
Maximum speed	80 km/h (50 mph)
Electric system(s)	750 V DC Overhead trolley wire
Current collector(s)	Pantograph
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Design

The vehicles are entirely low-floor. They can be built to operate unidirectionally or bidirectionally. The vehicles' design includes energy-saving features, like regenerative braking and the use of LED lighting, but they are also air-conditioned. The vehicles may be coated in special paint designed to resist graffiti.

The vehicles are articulated, and are built out of modules. Operators can alter the number of intermediate modules, thus altering the capacity of the individual vehicles. Vehicles can be connected, so up to four connected vehicles are operated by a single driver.

The vehicles are equipped with counters, which keep track of how many passengers they are carrying. The vehicles' standard passenger configuration can safely accommodate up to four passengers in wheelchairs. The maximum passenger capacities, in the standard seating layouts, are 135 and 251, for the three and five-module configurations. When run in the five-module configuration, with train-sets of four vehicles, the maximum capacity of a light rail line is 30,000 passengers per peak hour.

According to Bombardier, the trainsets can be built for "catenary-free" power, where, instead of being powered by direct contact with overhead wires they are powered indirectly through induction, through buried loops.

Flexity Freedom vehicles differ from the Flexity Outlook vehicles used on the Toronto streetcar system in that they are larger and faster and use standard gauge rather than the streetcar system's unique broad gauge. They are also bi-directional, with cabs on both ends and doors on both sides. While Flexity Outlook vehicles can negotiate the tight curves of the streetcar network, Flexity Freedom vehicles require a minimum curve radius of 25 metres (82 ft).

History

The Flexity Freedom cars were originally for the Transit City plan which would have created 6 suburban LRT lines for an order ranging about 300 cars. Only the Eglinton Crosstown line is proceeding with construction, which resulted in Metrolinx ordering only 182 vehicles.

In July 2013, the Region of Waterloo finalized a deal with Metrolinx to join their contract and purchase 14 additional vehicles for their forthcoming Ion light rail system.

The car is also being marketed by Bombardier for future orders within North America.

See also

Besides the Eglinton and Ion lines, the LRT cars may be considered for other TTC and Metrolinx projects in the future:

• Hurontario-Main LRT
• Sheppard East LRT
• Etobicoke-Finch West LRT

References

1. "Bombardier façonne l'avenir de la mobilité avec ses solutions d'avant-garde pour le secteur ferroviaire à l'EXPO APTA 2011" (in French). Le Lezard. 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2013-06-26. A l'EXPO APTA 2011, Bombardier Transport fait le lancement de sa nouvelle plate-forme de véhicule léger sur rail très éconergétique FLEXITY Freedom, destinée au marché nord-américain. FLEXITY Freedom combine des innovations et des éléments éprouvés tirés de la réputée plate-forme de tramway modulaire FLEXITY pour en faire le véhicule de choix de tout développement futur dans le domaine du transport urbain. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
2. Bombardier Transportation. "Bombardier Builds Customer Base for Leading Light Rail Technology in North America". Retrieved 24 November 2013.
3. Melissa Murray (11 July 2013). "Region finalizes LRT vehicle deal". Kitchener Post. Retrieved 16 November 2013. By 2017, the LRT will service a 19-kilometre corridor from the Conestoga Mall in Waterloo to the Fairview Mall in Kitchener.
4. ^ "Metrolinx spends $770-million to order 182 LRT vehicles from Bombardier". The Globe and Mail. 14 June 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
5. ^ "FLEXITY Freedom" (in English). Bombardier Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-07-13. Retrieved May 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |trans_title= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
6. Paige Desmond (2013-07-11). "Region approves purchase of Bombardier LRT trains". Kitchener, Ontario: Kitchener-Waterloo Record. Archived from the original on 2013-07-13. Retrieved 2013-07-13. The region's train order will be added to a contract Metrolinx has to buy light rail vehicles for the City of Toronto. Officials said it would lower costs, keep the project on schedule, improve vehicle reliability over a longer period and offer an opportunity to share parts and knowledge. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

• Toronto streetcar vehicles
• Proposed public transport in the Greater Toronto Area
• Articulated passenger trains
• Bombardier Transportation tram vehicles
• Metrolinx