Bombardier gets German LRT order
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefBombardier Transportation said Monday it has received an order from Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (RNV) for 11 new low-floor trams. The latest order, valued at $47 million, is a further option of a contract signed in 1998. The low-floor trams will serve the joint network of the transport operators of Germany’s Rhine-Neckar region, located south of Frankfurt.
The trams are equipped with the company’s MITRAC Energy Saver technology for recuperating braking energy. The vehicles offer passengers a high level of comfort, spacious interiors, high performance air-conditioning and a clearly laid-out passenger information system. The low-floor vehicles are well equipped to cater to mobility impaired passengers, Bombardier said.
Germar Wacker, president of Bombardier’s Light Rail Vehicles division, said, “We have been cooperating closely with RNV for many years. We are delighted by the trust they have placed in us. With this order a total of 30 RNV trams will be equipped with the MITRAC Energy Saver. Together with our customer we are making an active contribution to sustainable transport planning in the region.”
“The new trams are a rewarding, future-minded investment in high performance as well as environmentally friendly public transport,” said Martin in der Beek, RNV’s chief technical officer. “Starting in 2013, we will be operating entirely with modern, low-floor vehicles on the 200 km railway and tram network of the RNV. Together with ongoing accessibility upgrades at stops in Ludwigshafen, Mannheim, and Heidelberg as well as the surrounding area, we are contributing to the increasingly important concept of universally accessible public transport. In addition, modern energy recuperating technology is used once again to enable an even more efficient operation of the already environmentally friendly tram network.”
The new low-floor trams will be manufactured at the Bombardier site in Bautzen, Germany. Mannheim will provide the electrical equipment, while the bogies will be provided by Siegen. The vehicles are scheduled to be delivered between January and June of 2013.
