The first Bombardier Flexity low-floor tram has now arrived in Duisburg. After an initial test phase, the remaining 46 vehicles are to be delivered. In December 2017, operator Duisburger Verkehrsgesellschaft AG (DVG) ordered a total of 47 new Flexity trams with Bombardier Transportation. The value of the contract is around 132 million Euro – or roughly 2.8 million euro per tram. Bombardier is also responsible for the supply of spare parts and maintenance for the next 24 or optionally even 32 years. Delivery of the first vehicles should have started in mid-2019 already. The remaining vehicles will follow by 2023.
At first glance, it is noticeable that the vehicle concept and design essentially correspond to the M8D-NF2 and -NF3 low-floor trams of the Ruhrbahn in Essen and Mülheim / Ruhr, of which 27 trains run in Essen and 10 in Mülheim. The outer shape is almost identical. In addition to the color samples, the biggest difference is, of course, the track width: the Ruhrbahn vehicles have meter-gauge bogies, while the Duisburg variant is standard-gauge. Another difference is the number of doors: The Ruhrbahn vehicles have three doors per side, while in Duisburg five doors per side were provided. This is one of the reasons why the DVG variant is a good 4 meters longer than its sister vehicle on the Ruhrbahn.
Picture gallery (please klick to open):
The first Bombardier Flexity for DVG Duisburg in the depot I © DVG 
Same family: Bombardier Flexity in the meter-gauge version for the Ruhrbahn in Essen / Mülheim (Ruhr) I © UTM
The bidirectional 3-car-vehicles for Duisburg are 70 per cent low-floor trams, 34 meters long, 2.3 meters wide and able to transport up to 200 passengers. With two additional doors in the end cars and one in the middle car, they will allow for better accessibility. The new fleet will replace the current fleet of 43 GT 10 NC-DU, built by DUEWAG in 1986–1993.
Picture gallery (please klick to open):
The steel carbody in the Bombardier plant in Bautzen I © DVG 
The middle car shortly after painting in the production I © DVG 
The three-car vehicles have four doors on each side of the vehicle I © DVG
The integration of the world’s first homologated obstacle detection assistance system for trams will improve safety for all traffic participants. Bombardier’s driver assistance system was recently awarded the European Rail Cluster Innovation Award 2017, and has been in operational use on customer Frankfurter Verkehrsgesellschaft GmbH’s vehicles in the city of Frankfurt, Germany. To further ensure passenger safety, two cameras will replace rear-mirrors and an additional picture-in-picture camera will eliminate blind spots.
Testing and commissioning
The employees of DVG Duisburg supervised the construction of the new vehicles in the Bombardier plant in Bautzen and ensured that there were no defects. The pre-series vehicle is now being tested on the DVG route network and put into operation. In addition, more than 300 drivers and workshop employees must be trained. The fire brigade and associations for the disabled will also familiarize themselves with the new lift in advance.
As soon as everything has been checked, the series production of the other 46 trains that will run on lines 901 and 903 will begin. What will happen to the old railways has not yet been determined.
When the new lifts arrive and the old ones are still in operation, there must be enough space in the depot at Grunewald. That is why the DVG is expanding the depot to accommodate all trains and materials.
At the same time, DVG and Düsseldorf’s Rheinbahn are currently carrying out anonther procurement process for new high-floor rolling stock. UTM reported here:
https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/joint-light-rail-tender-in-dusseldorf-and-duisburg/
09.09.2020
