The MPK Poznań transport operator has begun modernising its Siemens Combino trams, which have been in service since 2003. A total of 14 of these vehicles are in MPK’s fleet. Over the next two years, the interior, electrics and exterior of the vehicles will be completely modernised.
The 14 Siemens Combino trams in Poznań are five-car multi-articulated vehicles with a low-floor ratio of 100% with a length of 29.4 m, an entrance height of approx. 300 mm and 60 seats. Mechanically and electrically, the vehicles are essentially identical in construction to the 155 Combino vehicles in operation in Amsterdam. According to the technical operating conditions, an overhaul/modernisation is planned for the vehicles after 16 years of operation or 1,280,000 km. The aim of the ongoing refurbishment project is to bring the technical condition and operating characteristics of the trams to a level equivalent to that of new trams.
MPK Poznań has commissioned Saatz, a Polish rail vehicle service provider, to carry out the work in April 2022. The contract is worth PLN 53.4 million gross (approx. EUR 11.2 million). Saatz is also known for the modernisation of the Škoda low-floor trams in Wrocław. The first modernised car was transferred to Poznan in mid-January 2023. The newly refurbished tram (numbered 503) entered passenger service on 16th february 2023.
Extensive modernisation
The scope of the repair is extensive and includes the most important systems such as the braking system, the heating, ventilation and air conditioning of the driver’s cab, the wheel flange lubrication, the doors as well as the equipment of the driver’s cab. LED lighting will be used inside the trams, and a wheelchair ramp at the second door is also planned. The articulated and motor bogies will also undergo inspection and repair if required.
In the electrical section, inverters, static converters and the entire electrical system will be replaced. The electrical specialist Enika from Łódź is responsible for the electrical scope, having supplied electrical equipment for numerous new and modernised trams in Poland.
In addition to the renewal and replacement of the components, the Combino fleet, which is almost 20 years old, will also receive a new green-yellow-grey paint scheme and be equipped with a new video surveillance system.
