MPK Poznań is currently modernising its tram operations with used vehicles: at the beginning of 2025, the first used NGT6D low-floor trams (type R1.1) from Bonn joined the fleet and will go into service on Sunday, 23 November 2025, to mark the 145th anniversary of public transport in Poznań. In total, the transport company acquired 24 vehicles built by Düwag/Siemens in the mid-1990s. With a maximum price of around £46,500 per roadworthy vehicle, their purchase is significantly cheaper than procuring new trams and enables MPK to significantly increase the proportion of barrier-free vehicles in the short term.
The 28.57-metre-long three-car trains have a low-floor area of around 70 per cent and offer 64 seats and 137 standing places. Before going into service, the bidirectional trains will be technically adapted to the Poznań infrastructure; maintenance will be carried out by MPK’s own operational service.
The vehicles were painted in MPK’s current corporate colours of metallic green, black-grey window bands and yellow decorative stripes on the roof curve. The newly installed digital route sign is particularly striking.
We reported on the acquisition of the used trains here:
Parallel to the deployment of the former Bonn vehicles, new Moderus Gamma LF 04 AC BD trams from local production are being delivered, meaning that Poznań is currently pursuing two modernisation tracks simultaneously: short-term capacity increase through used vehicles and long-term renewal through new vehicles. In combination, both strategies will lead to a significant increase in the proportion of barrier-free vehicles in the network. At the same time, the use of the last modernised 105Na Konstal trains is coming to an end. Following Łódź, Poznań is the second city in Poland to purchase second-hand low-floor trams from Germany.
The acquisition of used vehicles from Western Europe has a long tradition in Poznań. The first used vehicles were purchased from Amsterdam in the mid-1990s. This was followed in 1997 by Düwag railcars from Düsseldorf and Frankfurt am Main. The last ‘Helmuts’, as the German used vehicles were affectionately known in Poland, were taken out of service in Poznań at the end of 2019. We reported on this here:
The import of the NGT6D from Bonn is viewed positively in Poznań: it quickly improves accessibility and represents a comparatively inexpensive renewal of the fleet. At the same time, Poznań shows how second-hand vehicles can be sensibly integrated into a comprehensive modernisation strategy.
There are certainly critical voices regarding the use of the approximately 30-year-old Bonn trams in Poznań. Some opposition politicians – such as city councillors from the Law and Justice party – are particularly critical of the age of the NGT6D trams. Since they are already over 30 years old, they see this as a step backwards, even though MPK Poznań emphasises that these trams are more modern than the very old 105Na vehicles they are replacing. In the public debate, the purchase has been described as ‘histeria o niemieckie tramwaje’ (‘hysteria over German trams’). Critics accuse MPK of importing ‘German junk’ or disadvantaging domestic manufacturers. Some media outlets report that the condition of the used cars purchased could vary greatly: MPK reserves the right not to accept individual vehicles if they have defects – the purchase agreement is designed in such a way that cars with damage can be excluded.
20.11.2025
