USA: The North Carolina Department of Transportation has demanded CATS, the Charlotte Area Transit System, to decommission some of the partially low-floor three-car S70 trams by the German manufacturer.
The requirement applies to 22 of the 42 trams delivered between 2007 and 2017, while six trams of the later S700 series will remain in service.
The reason was the occurrence of excessive wheel play in two vehicles, which, according to CATS acting CEO Brent Cagle, were discovered by the company’s maintenance crews five days apart. He stressed that CATS does not believe the current situation is related to the bearing issue that caused several trams to derail in 2022. The out-of-service trams will undergo maintenance within two or three months.
