2015: A Trial Run Milestone for a Rail Transit Line in Ecuador

October 23, 2015

A much anticipated Friday morning event in the Ecuadorian city of Cuenca occurred when a low-floor tram (railcar) was taken out for its first test run. This vehicle was the first of several railcars to be built by Alstom, a French rolling stock manufacturer, for an electric tram line coursing through both the northern and southern parts of Ecuador’s third largest city.

The first of the Alstom Citadis trams that would be used for the Cuenca Tramway (Tranvía de Cuenca) had arrived at the newly constructed tramway shops on Mexico Avenue in the city in July 2015. This car was designated as Car 1001 and, as the first of those trams to be delivered to Cuenca, it became the first to be tested out on the city’s streets.

The person operating this red five-section vehicle for its initial trip out of the shops on October 23 was Alstom engineer Philippe Guinand. As the person handling the controls, he maneuvered Car 1001 westward on Mexico Avenue before turning onto Avenue of the Americas. After traveling a short distance on Avenue of the Americas, the tram returned to the shops. While this trip covered only eight-tenths of a mile (1.3 kilometers) altogether, it took place during the highly challenging and less-than-enviable timeframe for the city’s morning rush hour.   

By this time, the fleet for the Cuenca Tramway consisted of a total of nine Alstom Citadis trams. Three days after the pioneering expedition of Car 1009, the tram designated as Car 1009 was taken out for its trial run.  The first series of testing for all of these vehicles was conducted only on the southern portion of the planned route for the Cuenca Tramway. Starting in July 2018, however, trial runs for the Alstom Citadis trams were carried out on the entire line. (The accompanying photo of Car 1001 was taken during this stage of the process.)

After considerable delays, the Cuenca Tramway was finally opened for regular service on May 25, 2020.  This tram line, which is the first modern one to be launched in Ecuador, covers a total of 6.6 miles (10.7 kilometers). There are 27 stations altogether along the route.

Photo Credit: Jfbeltranr (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)

For more information on the Cuenca Tramway, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuenca_Tramway and https://www.railwaygazette.com/light-rail-and-tram/cuenca-tramway-opens/56639.article