First Stadler Tramlink delivered to Potsdam

VIP, the tramway operator in the German city of Potsdam, took delivery of the first of 13 Stadler Tramlink 100% low-floor single-ended trams on 13 March. The 42m trams, with a 300mm floor height, can carry up to 246 passengers (74 seated) with eight wide doors to ensure rapid passenger boarding and alighting. each weighs 55.9t. The trams were ordered in 2021 and there is an option for a further 12. The contract includes 10 years of maintenance and spare parts and is priced at EUR 4.76M per tram. The body shells are produced at Stadler’s Polish factory in Skoda Wielkopolska and transferred to Valencia are Spain for fitting out and assembly. Delivery from the Valencia factory involved shipment from Santander to Zeebrugge. A production line is being set up at Stadler’s Pankow factory in Berlin to shorten the supply chain. 

 

Commissioning, testing and training will now take place before the trams enter passenger service in the autumn. 

 

The standard-gauge Potsdam tramway was opened in 1880 and el4ectrified from 1907. Today there are five lines covering 30km and operated by 53 trams including 18 Tatra KT4DC that will now be replaced.