A tram from Solaris presented in Leipzig

A tram delivered by Solaris to Leipzig has been officially presented to the public for the first time. Everyone who is interested in getting familiar with the modern vehicle can participate in special presentations held by the Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB) in the following week. According to the frame agreement signed in 2015, the carrier can order up to 41 trams between 2016-2020.

LVB has up to now ordered 14 trams. First of them have already been delivered to the client. At present, the procedures of the final start-up and adjusting the tram to the carrier’s city network are taking place in close cooperation with the LVB. This includes test drives and other homologation related works.

“The new Leipzig trams are the best example of modern public transport in a developing city. Together with the growth of the number of the city’s citizens, the public transportation needs grow. It is a challenge for all of us” – said Burkhard Jung, Leipzig’s Mayor.

“Constructing and producing trams for Leipzig is an ideal example of Polish-German cooperation. We are extraordinarily proud of this project. Being a Polish family company we created and delivered the state of the art, one of Europe’s most modern trams” – said Solange Olszewska, Solaris CEO.

The 37.63-meter long and 2.3-meter wide trams will consist of four sections and will be equipped with 4 classic driving bogies and one non-powered Jacobs type bogie. The tram track width amounts to 1458 mm, specific for the LVB network.

The stylistic concept is the result of a close-knit collaboration between the customer and the design studio IFS Design, right from the first stages of the implementation of this order. A detailed analysis of the distribution of various elements allowed to optimise the tram in terms of comfort and ergonomics, but also in terms of the habits and wishes of the tram drivers in Leipzig. It is the needs of the drivers that led to the creation of a special mock-up of the driver’s work station, representing the suggested solutions in minute detail. The employees of LVB had thus the opportunity to test them and to provide feedback. This enabled the manufacturer to work out the best possible design which was then turned into a product. The trams will be equipped with an ergonomic, fully automatized drivers’ seat. In order to ensure maximum aesthetic cohesion and a minimum noise of the devices installed on the vehicle, the tram has been equipped with a roof shield.

Much time has been dedicated to planning out the passenger room, the life-size mock-up of which has been presented at 2016 InnoTrans in Berlin. The thorough design allowed the creators to make room for 75 seats, while keeping a wide passage throughout the whole vehicle. Apart from using a harmonious set of colours, ergonomic seat and railing arrangements, as well as providing four spaces for wheelchair-bound passengers, the Polish producer also decided to apply a number of additional, innovative solutions. Specially designed lighting panels have been embedded in the roof; they adjust the colour and intensity of the light to the weather conditions. In winter the lights will shine in warm hues and in the summer – in cold hues, which ought to raise the travel comfort considerably. The tram has been equipped with four pairs of 150-milimetre-wide double doors and two pairs of single, 800-milimetre-wide doors. These parameters ensure a quick and smooth entry into and exit from the tram car. Also the passenger information system has been improved by way of special external displays, installed above the double-leaf doors, for passengers boarding the tram. The tram has been also equipped with an efficient air conditioning for the passenger room. A separate AC device ensures comfortable working conditions for the driver who will stay the longest inside the vehicle.

The Solaris tram is available for viewing between 11-19^th February at the entrance to Glass Hale at the Leipzig trade show.