Technical defects: New ŠKODA streams remain in the depot!

Technical defects: New ŠKODA streams remain in the depot!

The new ŠKODA-Straßenbahnen in Brandenburg an der Havel are currently standing still and are waiting for their approval for regular driving. Extensive technical defects are the reason why the two already delivered vehicles already delivered in the depot of the Brandenburg (VBBR) transport company. According to maz-online.de Type registrations and operating permits are obtained and the drivers are trained accordingly.

OF THE EIGHT PARTS OF THE Railways have only arrived - the first in December 2022 and the second a few weeks ago. It was planned that the new lanes will start operating in the first half of 2025, but the problems with the brackets of the besanding pipes delay the process considerably. These brackets are crucial to improve the braking effect on black ice, which is particularly important in the cold season.

challenges in the registration process

On the way to granting the operating license, the trams have to go through extensive tests. Test drives on the 39 -kilometer route network have already been carried out in Brandenburg an der Havel, the first took place on January 28 of this year. According to Stadt-brandenburg.de These tests included encounter trips, braking maneuvers and several other safety-relevant tests.

A legal inventory of the approval process states that the technical supervisory authority needs about two to three months for approval after the necessary adjustments at the stops have been completed. These structural adjustments that are necessary to offer the new railway should be completed by April 2025 - the costs for it are estimated at a maximum of 30,000 euros.

difficulties in the delivered technology

The defects in the current vehicles are remarkable: Both lanes have caused over 100 problems. The manufacturer, ŠKODA transportation, has recently opened a branch in Berlin in order to better coordinate the elimination of defects. Urgently required repairs must now be made so that the vehicles will soon be used as planned. In Frankfurt (Oder) there are similar developments, where ten have already been delivered from 13 -ordered railways, but had to be sent back to the factory due to serious defects.

The remaining four trams, which have been announced for Brandenburg, are only to be delivered in the course of next year. The entire cycle, which led to the order of these vehicles, goes back to 2012, with a joint tender and signing of the contract in 2021. Each tram has a proud unit price of around 2.7 million euros. It is also not excluded that renegotiations with the manufacturer may be pending in the face of increasing production costs.

The transport companies therefore face a challenge: Despite the great effort and the possibility of receiving up to 24 new Niederflur-Strassenbahnen, the regular operation of the first vehicles will continue to be pushed to the long bank. The anticipation for the new technology and its advantages remains no longer a nice dream.