INGENIEUR
INGENIEUR
Writer at a Lisbon tram stop
Tram driver at the control panel ( Wikimedia Commons ) the meandering , narrow and steep streets of Lisbon . In some areas , I saw the tram passing inches away from the side of buildings . According to www . knorr-bremse . com , the Lisbon tram can take curves with radii under 10m and negotiate gradients up to 13.5 %, making it a world record for trams .
I was amazed by the extreme skill and patience of the tram drivers ( there were two of them on shifts – one man and one woman ). They control the tram as it plied the single track shared with cars and buses and observed the traffic lights along the way . They steered carefully and used the horn to warn absent-minded pedestrians walking close to the tracks . I noticed the noisy braking system as it is triggered by long metallic handle pulled by the driver ’ s hand . The drivers also use numerous controls in the front panel to manoeuvre the tram . At one tram stop , the male driver got up from his seat to collect cash and return change to a lady passenger .
58 VOL 97 JANUARY - MARCH 2024