Flexity Swift

The Flexity Swift is a family of light rail vehicles of the manufacturer Bombardier Transportation, which was first established in 1995 by the Cologne Transport Authority (KVB ). Today, the vehicles are used by several transport operations in Europe and the USA. These include, inter alia, Bonn, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Cologne, London - Croydon, Minneapolis, Rotterdam, Stockholm and Manchester. For Bursa and Karlsruhe late 2000s were ordered vehicles. The vehicles are available in both a low floor and a high-floor version. In Germany they are mainly under the type designations of the KVB ( K4000, K4500, K5000 ) or VGF (U5 ) is known.

The current supplied by Bombardier from 1993 to the Vienna Metro Niederflurwagen type T was the model of the K4000, and was also used in Cologne as a test. However, both the type T and its successors T1 and its derived series 400 the Vienna local railway not belong to the Flexity family.

The manufactured by Bombardier high-floor vehicles for the Docklands Light Railway types B90, B92, B07 B2K and resemble the Flexity Swift family, but do not belong to Flexity family. The families Flexity Swift and Flexity Link are summarized under the term of Bombardier Flexity light rail.

The main competitors of the Flexity Swift are the Alstom Citadis, Siemens and Siemens Avanto Combino, the tango from Stadler Rail, the Sirio AnsaldoBreda and Bombardier's other Flexity Bombardier trams.

• 2.1 low-floor versions
• 2.2 High -floor versions

Models and locations

K4000

The K4000 is a - depending on the definition - medium - or low-floor, four-axis bi-directional rail cars. The wheels of the bogie on the joint in the middle of the carriage do not have through-going shafts, which is why the term is often used as the six-axis is false.

Because of its floor height of 35 inches above top of rail at all entry doors is the K4000 for service on routes with platforms for financial or urban design reasons can not be raised to the 90 - inch entry level of rail cars of type B or type K5000 or should. In type K4000 a walk, stepless entry is already possible with a platform height of 35 to 40 centimeters. The low-floor is, however, only 70 percent, because of the vehicle ends for cab towards normal high-floor bogies are implemented in the doorless area, making a stage inside the vehicle necessary, but it greatly simplifies the design of the drive.

120 identical vehicles of this type were from 1995 to 1998 in a consortium of Bombardier Transportation and Kiepe Elektrik (now Vossloh Kiepe ) built and delivered to the Cologne transporting enterprises. In 2002 met a subsequent delivery of an additional four vehicles in Cologne, so that the KVB today about 124 K4000 - cart features. The operation numbers are correspondingly 4001-4124.

Initially, only lines 1, 7, 8 and 9 ( since 5 August 2007, 1, 7 and 9) were the area of ​​application for these vehicles, since the lines are an additional 6, 12 and 15 ( since 5 August 2007, 12 and 15) K4000, K4500 or been changed.

As a rule, K4000 as a double header with two cars in use. The beginning of 2006, however, the prototype K4001, a technical conversion to take the vehicle number K4500 as a long train and can thus received, inter alia, a new device was Ibis.

As in Cologne ( and generally in rail systems ) typically, the vehicle is used not only in the above-ground tram operation but is traveling on links and underground tunnels. In addition, it has a permit to operate according to EBO on classic railway lines. Such a stretch there on the KVB line 7 between the stops " Brahmsstraße " and " Frechen station ".

K5000 / K5200

The K5000 is the high-floor Bombardier Flexity Swift version of the. Originally wanted the KVB procure the new Siemens - type " City Sprinter". However, after the serious accident of the prototype on 23 August 1999, a new order with Bombardier was awarded. However, the KVB decided at short notice, classified the 59 Bombardier vehicles and 5101-5159, the number 5001 because it did not want to reassign, who had worn the accident CitySprinter prototype. An option on 69 more vehicles were converted into a purchase order for the low-floor variant K4500, since the conversion of lines 6, 12 and 15 had been decided on low floor now. Some of the Cologne vehicles have also been upgraded so that they can go to the EEO lines. Meanwhile, the digital radio is being extended to the HGK - track and the car with IBISplus devices are approved for this route. The K4000 were first converted to IBISplus, after the Frechen line was equipped with digital radio.

Stadtwerke Bonn (SWB ) procured 2003 15 identical vehicles that have been classified with respect to the then proposed merger with the KVB as 0360-0374, could be integrated immediately into Cologne numbering system ie by replacing the first digit. Under the previous system, the first operation number would have been 0351.

First, the Bonner cars were - during the day as a double trains - used only on the local line 63. An originally planned Community traffic on lines 16 and 18 to Cologne takes place only since August 2005, as the K5000, was admitted by EBO, which is required for passenger service on the banks of the Rhine and Vorgebirgsbahn only after a very lengthy approval process. Necessary for obtaining this approval was the installation of a fire extinguisher in the center of the car.

In November 2010, the KVB took the first vehicles of the type K5200, a second generation of high-floor Flexitys in operation. The vehicles ordered 15 differ only slightly from the K5000 and to be delivered by 2011.

K4500

The K4500 is another low-floor variant of the Flexity Swift, which is very similar to the type K4000, but is technically more closely related to the K5000, which is particularly advantageous for the spare parts inventory. The most striking change is the means to Cart extended joint, which is now home to eight seats. In the years 2005-2007 a ​​total of 69 of these vehicles were delivered. Because of this conversion of an order for K5000 vehicles was a decision by the Cologne City Council, fully prepare a portion of the light rail network for the use of low-floor vehicles. But this more high-floor vehicles had been available, were used as in Cologne and at the same time too little low-floor vehicles.

CR4000

In spring 2000, received the newly established ( London) Tramlink system on the K4000 -based and externally almost identical low floor railcar.

A32

In the late 1990s were almost identical car the K 4000 procured for the first new rail line in postwar Stockholm, Sweden - the so-called " cross- train" - but prepared with rounder heads and only three doors on each side, but the fourth.

The Haagsche Tramweg - Maatschappij (HTM) is identical cars in cooperation with the Nederlandse Spoorwegen on the " RijnGouweLijn " ( Gouda - Alphen aan den Rijn ). Since these vehicles were originally supplied to Stockholm, they also carry the designation A32. The vehicles were sold in 2010 to Stockholm.

Izmir

In August 2000, Turkey was in Izmir, opened a Metro created by Adtranz. The delivery also included 45 vehicles.

Istanbul

In the summer of 2001, the Istanbul Transport Authority ordered (ITC ) 55 Flexity Swift vehicles. Similar vehicles for Stockholm, provides the vehicle for Istanbul at a length of 30 m at a total capacity of 272 passengers. The step-in height is 300 millimeters. The vehicles were put into operation in 2003.

Frankfurt am Main

→ Main article: U5 - railcars

For the U -Bahn Frankfurt a total of 146 vehicles were ordered in two versions. They are based on the K5000, but are primarily visual, similar to the Frankfurt predecessor, the U4 - railcars. They were since 2007 under construction. A first vehicle was presented in May 2008 and since September 2008 the vehicles are in regular service. As a special they are traction capability with the built by Siemens Duewag and U4 car. On 15 December 2011, a further 78 vehicles, of which 40 (U5 -25) and 19 ( U5 - 50) ordered.

Minneapolis

Since 2004 ride on the Hiawatha Line Bombardier Flexity Swift vehicles.

M5000

The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive ( GMPTE ), Bombardier and Vossloh Kiepe placed an order for twelve cars of the M5000 for delivery in 2009 for the Manchester Metrolink light rail. In December 2009, the first motor coach took on the traffic.

Bursa

The transport company in Bursa, Turkey in August 2008 have ordered 30 Flexity Swift vehicles for the light rail and get in the years 2011/2012.

Karlsruhe

→ Main article: ET 2010

The transport department of Karlsruhe ( VBK ) and the Albtal traffic -Gesellschaft ( AVG) have ordered a total of 30 two-system rail cars for the Stadtbahn Karlsruhe and Heilbronn Stadtbahn for delivery from August 2011 in September 2009. In May 2012, the first car in Karlsruhe had arrived. An option on an additional 45 vehicle was agreed.

Melbourne

The transport authorities of the Australian state of Victoria have placed an order for the supply of 50 Bombardier Flexity Swift low-floor trams to the value of 216 million euros in September 2010. The contract also includes an option for another 100 Flexity Swift trams. The vehicles are 33 meters long and can each accommodate up to 210 passengers. They are manufactured at Bombardier's site in Australia Dandenong. The German sites in Mannheim and Siegen provide the propulsion systems and the bogies. The delivery of the first vehicles is planned for 2012.

Specifications

Low-floor versions

High-floor versions

Pictures

CR4000 Croydon Tramlink (2004)

CR4000 in current livery (2009)

A32 on the Tvärbana (2006)

A32 in Gouda station ( 2007)

111 vehicle near the station Cedar / Riverside in Minneapolis (2005)

Flexity Swift in Istanbul ( 2005)

U5 - car in Frankfurt ( 2008)

Randstadrail RSG3 at Nootdorp (2009)

Vehicle 3001 of the Manchester Metrolink (2010)

Vehicle 923 of Albtal Transport Company ( 2013)

Opening special train of light rail Heilbronn North on December 14, 2013