Rolling Stock
Since the last traditional tram cars were retired in 2006, the active rolling stock consists exclusively of light rail vehicles. All of them are slightly below 30 m (98 ft 5 in) long, 2.65 m (8 ft 8 in) wide, seat around 70 passengers and are approved for 80 km/h (50 mph) or more. With rare exceptions all services are operated by two units coupled together.
In 1973, Cologne received two prototypes of the Type B LRV. Since then, 172 units of four generations were delivered to Cologne until 1996. The first generation (series 2000) is currently being retired, while the second generation (series 2100) is due to receive a major overhaul for at least another 15 years of service.
After tests with a low-floor tram from Vienna, a similar vehicle was developed for Cologne by Bombardier Transportation, later known as the Flexity Swift family. A total of 124 low-floor trams were delivered between 1995 and 1998, referred to as "K4000". These vehicles received numbers starting with 4001.
When DUEWAG, producer of the Type B light rail vehicle was sold to Siemens Transportation Systems and later dissolved, additional Type B cars were no longer available. When a new series of high-floor vehicles, to be named "K5000", was needed, Siemens presented the "CitySprinter". In August 1999, after two months of testing, the CitySprinter prototype crashed into another tram at 50 km/h (30 mph) at the "Christophstraße/MediaPark" U-Bahn station. The accident was caused by a simultaneous electronics shutdown resulting in the train's inability to apply its brakes. Eight people sustained serious injuries. The second prototype produced was never delivered. Instead, Bombardier derived a high-floor tram from the K4000. 59 units were delivered in 2002 and 2003. The numbering was changed to 5101 at short notice to avoid re-using the number 5001, which had been the number of the ill-fated CitySprinter. Another 15 vehicles are exprected to be delivered before 2010.
When it was decided to create a second low-floor network, an option for more K5000 was changed to additional low-floor vehicles. Bombardier developed a new low-floor tram based more on the K5000 than on the K4000. These new trams were named "K4500". Delivery of 69 units started in 2005 and was completed in late 2007.
Read more about this topic: Cologne Stadtbahn
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