Bombardier Transportation handed over the first two of 20 Flexity trams to Karlsruhe public transport company AVG from Vienna under a EUR 98 million contract signed in 2018. Within the next weeks, the new light rail vehicles will be prepared for operation, tested and authorized to enter commercial transport services.
All the ordered Flexity trams will be delivered by mid next year.
With the new vehicles, we are continuing to modernise our fleet while increasing passenger capacity. In addition, the new light rail vehicles will enable us to offer our passengers the best possible comfort and high-quality standards, making public transit a more attractive option for people in the region,” Ascan Egerer, Technical Director, AVG, said.
Each LRV has a length of 37 metres with a capacity of 244 passengers, of which 93 seats. Up to three Flexity trams can be coupled together to carry even more passengers at peak times.
The LRVs are made of recyclable materials and are painted with water-soluble paint, which makes a valuable contribution to more sustainable rail mobility.
The vehicles are designed to fulfil the requirements of the city and region of Karlsruhe. For optimal adaptation to the existing infrastructure, the floor height in all entrance areas allows a faster passenger change and barrier-free access for passengers with reduced mobility as well as passengers with pushchairs or heavy luggage.
Around 70 employees were involved in the production of the two vehicles in Vienna, who together have worked several thousand hours. A total of around 80 kilometres of cable were installed in the two trains, that is equivalent to a route roughly as long as the Karlsruhe city limits. With over 280 kilometres of its own track and a light rail network of more than 560 kilometres, AVG is the second largest railway company in Baden-Württemberg after Deutsche Bahn.
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