First CAF Stadtbahn LRV arrives in Essen

The replacement of the standard double-ended high-floor Stadtbahn-B LRVs in various German cities in Nordrhein-Westfalen has been in progress for some time (Bonn, Bochum-Gelsenkirchen, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Essen/Mülheim, Köln (Cologne). 

 

However unlike the period 1973-1993, when Duewag/Siemens produced a standardised vehicle that ran in all these cities, the approach to acquiring replacements has been quite different in each city. Bochum is modernising its existing fleet. Bonn, Dortmund and Köln have tried heavy rebuilds of the fist-generation cars, but then switched to ordering new high-floor LRVs, albeit from CAF, Heiterblick and Alstom respectively. Düsseldorf and Duisburg went for a version of the Alstom Avenio. The Ruhrbahn joint operation of Essen and Mülheim-an-de-Ruhr chose to order from CAF. 

 

For Essen, the first of 51 CAF high-floor Stadtbahn cars (5303) was delivered to Schweriner Strasse depot in Essen on 5 July. 5301-2 were at the CAF test facility in Spain. Delivery of the 51 should be completed by the end of 2026 under a contract worth EUR 150M. These are the first high-floor LRVs for Germany from CAF, that hitherto has been better known for is Urbos design of low-floor tram. The new vehicles, built in Zaragoza, are 28m long and 2.65m wide with a floor height of 970mm and, air-conditioned, they will replace not only the 48-year old Stadtbahn-B, but also the ex-~London Docklands stock. 

 

Ruhrbahn managing Director Michael Fellker said, ‘Continuous investment in infrastructure, technology and vehicles is the prerequisite for convincing people with competitive public transport and offering a real alternative to their own car. This is the only way the mobility transition can succeed. With the punctual delivery of the first vehicles, we have not only reached an important milestone in the schedule, but it is also a special moment for CAF, as it is the first high-floor light rail vehicle that we are supplying to the German public transport market. We are all the more pleased that we have been able to successfully master this major challenge as a result of a collaborative partnership between Ruhrbahn and CAF’. 

 

Series delivery of the new LRVs will take place in 2025-2026.