Bremen completes depot and workshop rebuild

Work to rebuild the 100 year old Gröpelingen depot in the German Hanseatic city of Bremen has been in progress for four years, but a ceremony on 20 August marked its completion. The EUR 100M project was celebrated by Senator for Construction, Mobility and Urban Development Özlem Ünsal and Bremer Strassenbahn AG director Thorsten Harder in front of employees and guests. 

 

The 13 000 square meter depot includes a two-story office block, electrical and mechanical workshop with seven work stations (with roof work platforms for maintaining low-floor trams),lifting jacks, pits and side pits, a crane system and an underfloor wheel lathe. There is a washing hall and area for refilling sanding systems and social area with changing rooms.  

 

As part of the project improvements to the nearby urban environment included a new police station, 800m of cycle and pedestrian paths, 3600 bicycle parking places and car-sharing spaces. Gröpelingen is the terminus of four tram lines and eight urban and regional bus routes with 24 000 passengers/day passing through. 

 

BSAG has also acquired a 35 000 square meter adjacent site that will be developed as a depot for battery-powered buses. 

 

Bremen has operated electric trams since 1892 and the eight-line system extends to 79km. The latest trams are 84 Siemens Avenio n100% low-floor cars; 34 of these are built for operation as tram-train on local rail lines.