A special wheel engaging column lift solution for trams was designed for the Basel transport authorities (Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe). This challenging project was implemented by MAHA’s Swiss-based partner, KSU / A-TECHNIK AG.
The special lifting system is designed for a load capacity of 120 t and a lifting height of 1,750 mm. The carriages of trams in Basel have an enormous length of 43.2 m, which is why Bombardier, the manufacturer, decided to include additional support points for lifting the trams. This is why 16 mobile wheel engaging column lifts were installed by MAHA, rather than the usual 12.
The challenge was to align all the columns with extreme accuracy, since the synchronous running of the wheel engaging systems has to be ensured.
It is safe to assume that there is no other lift system with the same proportions, since trams are usually made up of just two to three carriages. Trams’ support points are at the axles. Each carriage has two of them, so four wheel engaging systems per carriage are usually enough.