This model has been around for a while - I posted about it a couple of
years back when the first customer was Basel. Like many models from tram
manufacturers, it's available in different variants regarding length,
width, track gauge etc. The Basel one is longer, the Halle one shorter.

Basel:
https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/light-rail/baselland-transport-confirms-order-for-25-stadler-lrvs/

Halle:
https://www.railwaypro.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Stadler-tina_halle_wasserturm_3-1536x698.jpg

Darmstad:
https://www.stadlerrail.com/media/pdf/theag0922e.pdf

It's a similar low floor platform - that is now pretty standard across the
industry - to the Flexity Swift (Melbourne E) or Skoda Smart (Helsinki,
Pilsen, Bonn etc).

Whether one can have a low floor throughout a metre gauge low floor is a
matter of geometry. It depends on the minimum width you need for the aisle
(typically not less than 500 mm) and the amount of swivel needed to go
around the system's curves. On a system with tighter curves, it's difficult
to have an aisle trench through the bogies if they have to swivel too much,
so, often, you will see a section of high floor over the end bogies which
have to do the most swinging (sounds like a dance floor!). In Helsinki,
where this type of tram made its debut, they've managed to maintain a
stepless aisle right through. In some other cities, they require a high
floor over the end bogies.

Those steps in the floor of the Darmstad model are because the operator
wants to prevent wheelchair users trying to move through the tram along the
narrow aisles where they can get stuck. I would not regard that tram as
being a true low floor tram, but a low-entry one (low floor at the doors).
A klutz like me would for sure trip over those little steps every time! Low
floor means a completely stepless gangway.

Tony P
On Sunday, 25 September 2022 at 04:44:05 UTC+10mcloug...@... wrote:

>

>

> On Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 5:38:09 PM UTC+12

>mat...@... wrote:

>

> > Getting rotating bogies on a 100% low floor metre gauge car would be a

> challenge, as this makes the 'trench' between the wheel sets particularly

> narrow.

>

> The photos show quite a narrow aisle between the seats, and the article

> says that despite this being 100pc low-floor, the tram has low steps to the

> aisles to stop people in wheelchairs trying to get up the aisles and

> becoming stuck.

>

> The article also says the bogies were tested under a Tango tram in Kraków,

> which sounds OK, except that Kraków's trams are standard gauge, IIRC.

>

> dmcl

>