TTC: Flexity Streetcars Testing & Delivery (Bombardier)

[W. K. Lis]

Meanwhile...

Bombardier Hands Over 100th FLEXITY Tram to the Berlin Transport Authority (BVG)

From their link:

Milestones of a success story: rail technology leaderBombardier Transportation officially handed over the 100th FLEXITY tram for Berlin to the Berlin Transport Authority (BVG) today. In the presence of numerous representatives from politics, business and the media, the keys were symbolically handed over by the President and Chief Operating Officer of Bombardier Transportation Dr. Lutz Bertling to the BVG Chairwoman of the Board Dr. Sigrid Evelyn Nikutta at Berlin’s Nordbahnhoff station. A commemoration board with date and logo was also unveiled jointly. With the slogan "The 100th FLEXITY for Berlin – what a fleet", the tram will be easily recognisable in service through Berlin today and in the future.

Dr. Sigrid Evelyn Nikutta, Chairman of the Board and Senior Executive of Operations at BVG said, "The tram – along with underground trams and modern buses – is the guarantor for a contemporary, environmentally friendly mobility in the growing metropolis of Berlin. 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. The FLEXITY is valued by our passengers just as much as it is by our drivers - and rightly so.”

Dr. Lutz Bertling said, "2015 is a year of anniversaries for BVG. In June, we jointly celebrated 150 years of trams in Berlin and are today handing over the 100th FLEXITY to BVG. With the largest tram network in Germany, Berlin is a city with a rich tram tradition. 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."

In 2008, the success story of the FLEXITY Berlin began with four pre-series vehicles that were tested intensively. On 10th September 2011, the first series production vehicle commenced passenger service, its design having been influenced by feedback from Berliners. The trams were specially designed for the German capital, with inspiration from the Bauhaus style, a design that has already received numerous design awards. The trams enjoy tremendous popularity in Berlin and are distinguished by comfortable entry and alighting, low noise and energy efficiency. At present, 142 items are ordered, these earmarked for full delivery by the end of 2017 so that the entire tram fleet of BVG can be made suitable for people with disabilities.

Berlin gets their 100th tram, out of their 142 order. Full delivery by 2017. For more information about Berlin's new tram, see this link for the Overview, Technical Data, and Technical Drawing.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

I'm trying not to be jealous.

 

[crs1026]

I'm trying not to be jealous.

Naw, look at the size of that key. Berlin must have specified the old Marx Trains wind-up propulsion system.

TTC's Flexities will have electric motors

- Paul

 

[Markster]

Their first production tram was in Sept 2011, and they've gotten 100 since then. That's one every 2 weeks.

 

[nfitz]

Looking at Nexbus now. 4404 and 4408 on 509, with the other 6 (4400, 4403, 4405, 4406, 4407, and 4409) all on 510.

I doubt we'll see all the units in service very often; seems more likely on weekends. I thought I saw the same yesterday.

Their first production tram was in Sept 2011, and they've gotten 100 since then. That's one every 2 weeks.

If they meet the current schedule, they should be turning out one every week shortly. So we'll hit 100 in about 90 weeks or so. So we'd be about 100 vehicles around end of May 2017. Only 3 years after production delivery started. So one every 1.6 weeks.

How long did their first dozen take?

 

[drum118]

Looking at Nexbus now. 4404 and 4408 on 509, with the other 6 (4400, 4403, 4405, 4406, 4407, and 4409) all on 510.

I doubt we'll see all the units in service very often; seems more likely on weekends. I thought I saw the same yesterday.

If they meet the current schedule, they should be turning out one every week shortly. So we'll hit 100 in about 90 weeks or so. So we'd be about 100 vehicles around end of May 2017. Only 3 years after production delivery started. So one every 1.6 weeks.

How long did their first dozen take?

The first dozen will be when 4014 gets here as 4401 & 4402 have to be rebuilt first and pass the smell test.

A different between production car and Prototype.

Need a prototype to make sure the production cars will be built right to spec and the smell test. Even the production cars will change overtime with the last being different than the first one.

If we get one a week starting in Sept, still say 4445 will be the last pole car, not 4460 as plan. It could be even earlier than that car at this rate, assuming TTC is still on having King done this year, as well the other lines as plan. 509, 510, 511 to be pans in 2016 and this allow for pan only cars to be used on these lines with the pole moving to other lines not ready for pans yet.

This coming weekend will be the last that nearly all the cars will be in service on the weekends for some time.

 

[khris]

What the heck is a smell test?

 

[leopetr]

What the heck is a smell test?

A smell test is also known as a sniff test, smoke test, or sanity check.

It's an informal check to verify that nothing glaringly obvious was missed during the latest set of changes.

 

[pstogios]

The first dozen will be when 4014 gets here as 4401 & 4402 have to be rebuilt first and pass the smell test.

Why do we care about the first dozen? That's not what the previous poster was referring to.

If we get one a week starting in Sept, still say 4445 will be the last pole car, not 4460 as plan.

What is a "pole car" and why do we care?

It could be even earlier than that car at this rate, assuming TTC is still on having King done this year, as well the other lines as plan. 509, 510, 511 to be pans in 2016 and this allow for pan only cars to be used on these lines with the pole moving to other lines not ready for pans yet.

King wasn't planned on being populated until the end of the rollout. Why are we even talking about new streetcars on King until many years?

This coming weekend will be the last that nearly all the cars will be in service on the weekends for some time.

Says who?

 

[the lemur]

What is a "pole car" and why do we care?

Streetcar using a rear pole to attach to overhead wires, as is currently the case, as opposed to a pantograph, which will enable streetcars to reverse more easily, if needed.

 

[TOareaFan]

Why do we care about the first dozen? That's not what the previous poster was referring to.

I think this is how conversations get de-railed into discussions about irrelevant minutiae. Someone posts about a transit agency getting to their 100th and suggests that it means they are getting vehicles at a much faster rate than Toronto......someone else posts a logical suggestion that perhaps that is after a ramp up period and that comparing where Toronto is now to how fast they got vehicles in the early days of their order is more relevant....in doing so that poster says "first dozen" as a proxy for where Toronto is now.....I highly doubt Nfitz is actually attaching any importance to the first 12 vehicles just throwing out a small number....could easily have been "the first 10" or something like that....then we get two separate posters jumping on the word "dozen" like it actually means something.

 

[cplchanb]

Streetcar using a rear pole to attach to overhead wires, as is currently the case, as opposed to a pantograph, which will enable streetcars to reverse more easily, if needed.

Also Pans are the industry standard in most of the world for decades, which shows just how far behind and backwards we still are. So yes we should care about these things if we are to call our city "world class"

 

[nfitz]

Why do we care about the first dozen? That's not what the previous poster was referring to.

Correct; I as wondering how long Berlin took to get their first 10 or 12 cars. We've received 9 production cars (though only accepted 8) currently; and hopefully 4011 will show up late this week. I wondered how long it took Berlin to ramp up.

King wasn't planned on being populated until the end of the rollout. Why are we even talking about new streetcars on King until many years?

I think this was a reference to the wiring on King. They need to do more than just the wiring for the current routes, because of detours, etc.

Says who?

Says the September 6 to October 10 board service summary. It shows a maximum of 8 cars in service on weekends. We should have 9 available by the first full weekend of that board; and hopefully 12 or 13 by the time it's over.

 

[44 North]

Meanwhile...

Bombardier Hands Over 100th FLEXITY Tram to the Berlin Transport Authority (BVG)

From their link

Berlin gets their 100th tram, out of their 142 order. Full delivery by 2017. For more information about Berlin's new tram, see this link for the Overview, Technical Data, and Technical Drawing.

It was interesting reading about Berlin's tram system. I've never been to that city and didn't realize how extensive it is. Does anyone know the difference between their Tram and Metro Tram lines? Wiki didn't give much detail on that, and it doesn't seem it'd be what's referred to over there as a stadtbahn.

 

[nfitz]

Correct; I as wondering how long Berlin took to get their first 10 or 12 cars. We've received 9 production cars (though only accepted 8) currently; and hopefully 4011 will show up late this week. I wondered how long it took Berlin to ramp up.

To answer my own question, somewhat ...

Looks like their first production vehicle was 8002 delivered in 2011 - http://transphoto.ru/list.php?serv=0&mid=2571&cid=77. There were 7 vehicles delivered in 2011 and 17 of this model delivered in 2012, and another 12 of this model in 2012- http://transphoto.ru/list.php?serv=0&mid=3390&cid=77

To complicate matters, they have 4 different models. They have both 30-metre long and 40-metre long streetcars; and uni-direction and bi-direcitonal versions of both.

Hard to say if it's faster or not, as there's no indication when the first production streetcar was delivered. We only know that it went in service in September 2011.