Testing the airbag tram. Following a series of fatal accidents, Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ) has confirmed that it is considering adding external airbags to its trams.
The public transport provider noted that the number of medical emergencies involving trams has steadily increased in recent years, and local officials are now calling on the company to act.
Tram accidents in Zurich are on the rise. VBZ reports that 675 accidents involving trams were reported in the city of Zurich in 2023, the most recorded in the last six years. Of these, the majority are accidents caused by trams starting and stopping, followed by incidents involving tram doors.
The prevalence of these incidents was highlighted in March 2024, when three people were fatally injured by trams in Zürich in just one week. This led to calls from some city council members for VBZ to make trams safer. “In recent years, accidents with injuries have steadily increased. People are being crushed by trams and dying. We can’t sit idly by,” remarked SVP City Councillor Michele Romagnolo.
Testing the airbag tram
Now VBZ has confirmed that it is helping tram manufacturer Alstom to test whether fitting trams with an external airbag would make them safer – the project began in December 2021, but recent incidents have brought the tests to the attention of the public and the media. Already used on older trams in Zurich, an airbag is attached to the front of the vehicle and inflates if someone passes in front of the tram while it is moving.
When activated by a sensor or a signal from the driver, the bag expands and acts like a snow plough. It is designed to prevent cyclists and pedestrians from falling under the tram and to get them out of harm’s way.
Airbags should prevent the most serious injuries, union says
“In frontal tram accidents, people first hit their head on the glass and then fall to the ground… An airbag pushes the person away and prevents the impact to a large extent,” noted Heinz Schulthess, tram driver and president of the Tranfair union. He added that while it won’t totally prevent accidents, it should prevent the most serious injuries.
VBZ confirmed it will continue to test the technology in the coming weeks. The end of the test and a decision on implementing the technology citywide are expected this summer.
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