Canadian manufacturer Bombardier has delivered the hundredth Flexity tram to Berlin’s light rail network, as part of a 142 tram deal signed in 2006.
Berlin Transport Authority (BVG) chairman and senior executive of operations Dr Sigrid Evelyn Nikutta said light rail is proving to be key to surging development in the German capital.
“The tram – along with underground trams and modern buses – is the guarantor for a contemporary, environmentally friendly mobility in the growing metropolis of Berlin,” Nikutta said last week.
“This applies today, but will especially apply in the future. With the Flexity Berlin, we have a vehicle that simply suits Berlin and the BVG. State-of-the-art technology, ecological, fast, comfortable, barrier-free and with a highly-acclaimed design.”
Bombardier’s Flexity family of trams was developed from the Incentro line developed by the company ADtrans, which was acquired by Bombardier in 2001.
Berlin’s Flexity rolling stock is a selection of unidirectional and bidirectional trams, some five and others seven sections long, totalling 30.8m and 40.0m respectively. The low-floor trams are 2.4m wide and have a maximum speed of 70km/h.
Bombardier expects to deliver the last of the 142 Flexity Berlins by 2017.
“With the largest tram network in Germany, Berlin is a city with a rich tram tradition,” Bombardier Transportation chief operating officer Dr Lutz Bertling said. “Bombardier is proud to be a part of this tradition, since all BVG trams for the past 20 years have come from our factory.
“We would like to express our thanks for the long-standing, good partnership and proven trust.”
Melbourne’s E-class trams, being rolled out at the moment, are manufactured by Bombardier and are based on the Flexity model.