At the beginning of June 2023, visitors to the Leipzig City Festival were able to experience the new Leipzig tram in a model and give their initial feedback. Municipal operator LVB offered the opportunity to experience the tram up to the first door in original size and to see the design. The model also includes the modern driver’s workplace, which has already been further developed following feedback from colleagues at LVB.
The procurement of the new vehicles is part of the joint project “Saxon Platform – Tram of the Future”, which LVB is implementing together with Städtische Verkehrsbetriebe Zwickau (SVZ) and Görlitzer Verkehrsbetriebe (GVB). This cooperation has a pilot character in Saxony’s public transport sector. The joint order generated considerable cost advantages for the participating companies, particularly in the area of so-called one-off costs and the development costs for the joint vehicle platform.
In December 2021, the supply contract had been signed between the three public transport operators and the manufacturer consortium LEIWAG, consisting of the Leipzig light rail and tramway manufacturer HeiterBlick GmbH and Kiepe Electric GmbH. The special feature of the procurement of these trams is the continuous further development of the vehicles during the procurement process, incorporating the respective available technical innovations.
The contract now concluded provides for the delivery of 25 45-metre vehicles as well as further options with up to 130 vehicles. The Free State of Saxony is funding the project with 68 million euros for these first 25 new vehicles. The Saxon Minister of Economic Affairs, Martin Dulig, handed over the corresponding funding notification on 2 December 2022. The basis for the funding of the project is the directive of the Saxon State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport on the granting of subsidies in local public transport (RL-ÖPNV).
Starting at the end of 2024, the new trams are to be extensively tested through Leipzig and be on the road for passengers from 2025. With the “tram of the future”, 2.40-metre-wide vehicles will make their debut in Leipzig. To achieve this, the track infrastructure has been modernised step by step since the 1990s with financial support from the federal government and the Free State of Saxony. Innovative vehicle control to reduce energy consumption and a driver assistance system are also planned. The needs of many previously disadvantaged user groups are also to be better taken into account, e.g. by recording and displaying the occupancy levels for wheelchair and pram reservation areas. The vehicle procurement is also part of the mobility strategy adopted by the city council in 2018 to expand public transport in Leipzig.
