First Solaris Tramino for Poznań delivered

K. Lesińska - MPK Poznań, Solaris Bus & Coach S.A.

Solaris has delivered the first volume-production Tramino low-floor tram. Poznań City Transport will receive 45 five-section articulated vehicles with conventional wheel-set bogies. They offer room for 229 passengers and are designed for rapid boarding and unobstructed passenger flows. Production of Solaris Tramino trams is based at two sites in the Greater Poznań region.

K. Lesińska - MPK Poznań, Solaris Bus & Coach S.A.

On 23 May 2011, Solaris handed over the first of 45 Tramino low-floor trams for Poznań City Transport in a ceremony attended by local political representatives. It is the first volume-production Tramino. An earlier prototype had been extensively tested since 2009.

Poznań City Transport ordered 40 Solaris Tramino in November 2009, with options for an additional 20 vehicles. Of these, an option for five vehicles has since been converted into a firm order. All Tramino will be delivered in time for the 2012 European Football Championships, of which Poznań is a host city. With its new Solaris trams, Poznań’s public transport will meet and surpass highest expectations of international visitors.

“Passengers in Poznań travelling on the Solaris Tramino will enjoy one of Europe’s most modern low-floor trams,” said Solaris founder Krzysztof Olszewski at the handover ceremony.

The Solaris Tramino is a 100% low-floor articulated tram with conventional wheel-set bogies, available in different lengths and specifications. Poznań City Transport chose uni-directional vehicles which are 32 metres long and 2.4 metres wide. Poznań’s vehicles have five body sections. Three sections are running on bogies, two of which are powered, with the remaining two sections suspended in between. Floor height is at 350 mm above top of rail, rising to 480 mm at the bogies. There are no steps within the passenger saloon.

The air-conditioned Tramino for Poznań carry 229 passengers, 48 of them seated. Additionally, five tip-up seats are provided. Side-mounted seats on flexible rails allow the seating layout to be modified quickly in case of changing operational requirements. To facilitate rapid passenger flows, exterior doors are wider than usual, including four 1,500 mm double-leaf doors. Minimum aisle width inside the vehicle is a spacious 750 mm. A multi-purpose area opposite the first double doors is available for passengers with pushchairs and wheelchair users.

Passengers may buy tickets at two ticket machines within the vehicle. Internal information screens show next stops as well as route information, while outside destination displays have been designed to offer good legibility from greater distances. In a Poznań tradition, route numbers are shown on separate, round displays on the Tramino’s roof.

The ergonomic cab is fitted with two touch-responsive screens, showing context-specific, relevant functions to drivers. With separate, protected access levels, they are also used by maintenance staff to facilitate vehicle diagnostics and parameter setting.

Solaris Tramino are built at two sites in the Greater Poznań region. Steel bodyframes are produced in Środa Wielkopolska, where a workforce of 120, working in two shifts, completes the bodyshells for one Tramino per week. Final assembly and start-up are undertaken at a 5,600 m2 factory in Poznań, where 250 staff are employed.