The final from fourty M33 Light Rail Vehicles (LRV) entered revenue passenger service at Gothenburg’s Transit Authority – Göteborgs Spårvägar and the Västtrafik Transport Association – during December 2023. The vehicles are equipped with electric drives supplied by Kiepe Electric. The M33 LRVs have already accumulated 5 million kilometers in service since their first delivery in 2020.
In 2019, 10 bi-directional and 30 single-ended low-floor trams, each 33 metres long, were initially ordered from Bombadier in 2019 – before Bombardier’s takeover by Alstom (see: https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/goeteborgs-vaesttrafik-bestellt-40-lange-flexity-strassenbahnen/). The LRVs, equipped with 71 seats and room for 158 standees, were manufactured by Alstom in Bautzen (Germany). All vehicles are characterized by their high reliability and availability, and a Kiepe service team is on-site 24/7 to ensure comprehensive support is provided. All vehicles have completed their 20,000 km test run without any issues. The sustainable concept of reusing waste heat from the engine to heat the passenger compartment is one technical detail to reduce energy consumption and overall life cycle costs.
The consortium and the customers are closely connected in their work, and this results in a high level of efficiency and project performance. The electrical concept of the vehicle with its space-saving hardware is highly innovative as the traction and on-board power converters are installed in a single, combined container on the roof of the LRVs. The Kiepe Fleet Management (KFM) system software supports the Agency in the maintenance and repair of the vehicle fleet with data from the subsystems, which the modular TCMS system combines into a functional overall electrical system. A close collaboration with experts at Knorr-Bremse has paid off; the subsystems are optimally coordinated during operation. Knorr-Bremse supplied braking, entrance, and air conditioning systems.
All those involved in the project are already working on the production of the first of 60 M34 LRVs with delivery starting in 2024. These unidirectional low-floor trams are 45 meters long and increase passenger capacity by around 50% compared to the M33.
(Info: Kiepe Electric)
