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Phileas is abus rapid transit, developed bySamenwerkingsverband Regio Eindhoven(SRE), Netherlands, along with other companies for the Cooperation Foundation Eindhoven Region (most prominently; APTS and Bombardier).
Phileas is an advancedguided bus, intended to deliver tram-like public transport at a low cost; the maintenance infrastructures are intended to be cheaper,[dubious –discuss] due to no maintenance of rails andoverhead lines.[citation needed]
A major feature of the bus, is the recharging battery by means ofelectromagnetic induction; which allows the battery to be manufactured in smaller sizes. Thus, less heavy and environmentally damaging.[1][2]
The project has cost more than two billioneuros, including infrastructure changes.
Phileas did not live up to expectations. On 25 November 2014, exactly 10 years after its introduction, the manufacturer of the Phileas, Advanced Public Transport Systems (APTS) in Helmond, was declared bankrupt.[3][4]
Phileas is named afterPhileas Fogg, theprotagonist inAround the World in Eighty Days byJules Verne because of the high speed and ability to be on time.
The Phileas mainly drives on abus lane, following a pre-programmed route defined by magnets built into the road.The FROG technique used alloweddriverless operation, however, for legal reasons, a driver must always remain present and vigilant - the budget prevented the Phileas from being completely separated from ordinary traffic. However, the regional authority for urban transport inEindhoven(SRE) decided to stop using the magnetic guidance system.
The computer systems inside the Phileas buses are designed in accordance withSafety Integrity Level SIL-4. It controls the vehicle's speed and direction and has a triple-redundant,fail-safe architecture. This means that one system consists of threesingle-board computers in a2-out-of-3 configuration. Each is installed in a different place in the bus, to avoid a complete system failure in the event of a vehicle collision. Every single computer obtains data from all sensors via twoCAN bus connections and compares them with the other two computers' results. In the case of data mismatch, the bus is switched off and the entire system goes into a "safe state", which means that the bus stops and opens its doors.[5]
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On 3 November 2005, a license & technology transfer agreement was signed between Advanced Public Transport Systems (APTS) and the Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI). The KRRI developed the Korean version of Phileas vehicle in May 2011.[6]
In December 2009, APTS, the manufacturer of the Phileas Tram signed a contract withBallard Fuel Cells ofVancouver to supply zero-emission engines for the Phileas.
The Phileas Trams are in successful operation in theNetherlands,Turkey,Korea, andIsrael (Metronit inHaifa).[7] They were also in use for a time inDouai,France, but persistent unreliability led to their replacement by traditional articulated buses just 4 years after their introduction.[8]
Only two Phileastrolleybuses were ever built: A 2011 prototype for a planned new busway system inPescara, Italy, and a 2014 prototype (with doors on both sides) for theMetromare busway then under construction inRimini.[9] Neither ever entered service on the systems for which they had been purchased, because the Metromare did not open until 2019, several years after the Phileas design was discontinued, and the planned Pescara trolleybus line has yet to open as of 2024. Both prototypes eventually were sold to a dealer in secondhand vehicles.[9] In 2021, both were acquired by theChișinău trolleybus system,[10] in Moldova, and one entered service in June 2022.[11]
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Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality purchased 50 Phileas bi-articulated vehicles for €63,278,650 (€1,265,573 per bus) for theMetrobus project; which was the highest order for Phileas at the time. There were several challenges due to faulty design including overcrowding (originally designed for 240 passengers, accommodating up to 300 passengers, exceeding their intended capacity), and challenging terrain (over 7% slopes). In addition, the weak traction axles of the buses frequently cracked and buses needed modifications to continue service. The modification cost for the stronger traction axles was comparatively expensive and was more than €200,000 per bus (competitor buses like the Mercedes Conecto with 185 passenger capacity were sold for approximately €400,000 at that time). Changes were made to accommodate higher passenger traffic.
One of the buses was lost to a fire on the 25 of March, 2015 at E5 road. Around 32 buses are usable and approximately 20 buses are in light use (25,000 km per year) due to their high operating expenses and high failure rates. The remaining buses remain parked atEdirnekapı andHasanpaşa garages ofIstanbul Metropolitan Municipality. They are currently in unusable condition and are used as a source of spare parts.
This article incorporates parts of the Dutch Wikipedia entry,nl:Phileas (OV)
