Citadises For Köln

On 25 November 2020, Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe (KVB) has signed a contract with the Alstom/Kiepe Electric consortium for the supply of 64 Citadis low-floor trams. The order for the new Citadis type trams with special adaptations for the German market is worth 363 million EUR. Alstom’s share amounts to 60 % of the total value. Alstom is leading a consortium with partner Kiepe Electric, a Knorr-Bremse subsidiary. The first pre-series vehicles are scheduled for delivery to Köln from late 2023. The batch-built trams will follow one year later. The contract also includes options for up to 47 trams.

Dr. Jürgen Wilder, Member of the Executive Board of Knorr-Bremse and responsible for the Rail Vehicle Systems division comments: „This is the largest single order in the history of Kiepe Electric. We are proud and at the same time forward-looking that a joint technical concept from companies of the Knorr-Bremse Group was convincing in the tender.“

Alstom will produce 62 trams of 60 m length and two 30 m long trams at its Barcelona works. The electrical components (drive, on-board and control technology) will be supplied by Kiepe Electric's Düsseldorf plant, the bogies will come from Alstom's Le Creusot plant in France.

The Citadies will operate throughout the entire urban area of Köln. They will impress with large windows, LEDs for pleasant soft lighting, large individual seats and travel information on large screens. The equipment also includes innovations such as driver assistance systems, automatic dipped beam and rain sensors. The 60 m long trams will offer space for 195 passengers and will have 10 double-leaf doors on each side. Especially for the German market, the Citadises will have steel bodyshells and six pivoting bogies for maximum vehicle flexibility. As a contribution to traffic safety, the trams will be equipped with a collision warning system.

Other components from the Knorr-Bremse Group will also be supplied to the trams: hydraulic braking systems from Knorr-Bremse of München, entrance systems from IFE of Kematen, and air-conditioning from MERAK of Wien. The latter will use a CO₂-based refrigerant, and on the other hand, the tram will use waste heat from traction motors to warm the passenger compartment.

We asked Alstom for principal technical data of the new trams (axle arrangements, voltage, traction power, brake power, maximum speed, dimensions, weights). We are waiting for an answer.