With second-hand trailers acquired from Darmstadt, Verkehrs- und Betriebsgesellschaft Gera (GVB) is set to introduce longer, fully low-floor tram sets. The initiative is supported by a loaned tram of the ST14 type from HEAG mobilo, which will operate in Gera under the fleet number 213. The vehicle will serve both as a locomotive for the newly acquired SB9 trailers during the §62 BOStrab approval process and as a reserve unit to compensate for extended vehicle downtimes following accidents or repairs.
The background to this is the planned conversion of Gera’s busiest route, Line 3, to a 7.5-minute headway while facing the need to better accommodate rising passenger numbers. In 2024, GVB recorded 17.4 million passengers, up from 15.9 million in 2019. Under the new timetable, the number of operational runs will be reduced from 15 to 11.
GVB’s current fleet includes six modernised KTNF8 double sets and twelve low-floor NGT8G trams, which are already operating at full capacity on Line 3 with five-minute headways. In 2024, GVB took over six SB9 low-floor trailers from HEAG mobilo for a symbolic price of just one euro each. These trailers, which previously ran behind identical motor cars in Darmstadt, will undergo refurbishment costing around €100,000 per unit.
The ST14 tram will retain its original Darmstadt livery and, following comprehensive driver training, is expected to enter passenger service in 2025. At the same time, delivery of Gera’s new Stadler Tina trams will begin, marking another step towards the modernisation of the city’s metre-gauge tram fleet.
We reported on the new Stadler trams here:
