TW 2000
| Series TW 2000 | |
|---|---|
 Long train consisting of a TW 2000 and two TW 2500 just before the Schaumburgstrasse stop
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| Numbering: | 2001–2048 (TW 2000) 2501–2596 (TW 2500) |
| Number: | 48 (TW 2000) of which 47 still available 96 (TW 2500) |
| Manufacturer: |
LHB (car body) Siemens (electronics) |
| Year of construction (s): | 1997-2000 |
| Axis formula : | Bo '+ 2 + Bo' |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Length over coupling: | 25.82 m (TW 2000) 24.705 m (TW 2500) |
| Height: | 3.74 m |
| Width: | 2.65 m |
| Empty mass: | 39.85 t |
| Top speed: | 80 km / h |
| Hourly output : | 584 kW |
| Continuous output : | 400 kW |
| Power system : | 600–750 V DC |
| Power transmission: | Overhead line |
| Number of traction motors: | 4th |
| Coupling type: | Scharfenberg |
| Seats: | 54 |
| Standing room: | 101 |
The TW 2000 is a type of light rail vehicle used by the Hanover light rail system.
General
In the mid-1990s, Üstra needed additional vehicles to extend the route; by awarding EXPO 2000 to Hanover and the planned expansion of the tram network and the forecast visitor numbers, this demand increased significantly. Since the vehicles of the previous type TW 6000 from the 1970s no longer corresponded to the state of the art and trains with more capacity were to be used, a new type of vehicle was to be developed that took up the progress in vehicle construction. The British designer Jasper Morrison presented the first concept studies in 1994. After the order was placed with Alstom LHB , the first vehicle was presented at the 1997 Hanover Fair . The silver-gray outer skin of the car earned it the nickname “Silver Arrow”. A large-scale "Üstragrün" was dispensed with, as such an exterior paintwork would have made the car body appear too powerful.
From September 1997 the new vehicle type TW 2000 will be used. Up to the Expo 2000 , 144 cars in two different versions had been procured. Üstra financed 108 of these vehicles as part of a cross-border leasing business and, according to the company, saved EUR 14 million with a purchase price of EUR 190 million.
variants
TW 2000
Like the TW 6000, 48 vehicles are two-way vehicles (two driver's cabs and doors on both sides). They have the car numbers 2001 to 2048. The car in 2007 had an accident in July 2012 and was scrapped the following year.
TW 2500
The other 96 vehicles are designed as bogus two-way vehicles with only one driver's cab and doors on both sides and are only used in pairs. The other end of the vehicle is equipped with a walkway so that passengers can walk through the train. At this end of the car there is an auxiliary driver's cab, which is not visible during normal operation, for shunting trips. These vehicles have the car numbers 2501 to 2596.
Further development
Apart from the two sub-types TW 2000 and TW 2500, the TW 2000 hardly differ from one another. A few of the 144 vehicles were delivered with driving school equipment. You can recognize them from the inside by the two-part driver's cab doors. In addition, the handrails in the joint area have been changed slightly (from 2011 and from 2516). The straps with the rectangular plastic handles have been replaced by more durable leather straps with aluminum handles. The silver window frames have been replaced by rubber seals on all cars. At the moment, the light-colored seat shells are gradually being replaced by darker ones and the repeatedly damaged folding bench seats are being replaced by individual folding seats as in the TW 3000. In addition, a non-slip covering replaces the previous PVC covering in the area of the folding steps. Since January 2019, more and more cars have been equipped with an LED destination display in the color amber.
technology
At 2.65 meters, the car body is wider than that of the older TW 6000 series. At platform height, it is reduced to 2.45 meters wide, so that the cars can approach the existing elevated platforms, which were once designed for 2.5 meters wide vehicles. The car body is made of lightweight steel construction; the driver's cabs are made in one piece from glass fiber reinforced plastic. The Scharfenberg coupling is swiveled in a movable panel under the driver's cabs, which enables a narrow coupling distance of 16 centimeters. Top speed, acceleration and braking characteristics match those of the TW 6000 TW 6000, TW 2000 and TW 3000 are mechanically with each other coupled , but not electrically , so that they can tow the other.
Instead of mechanical folding doors, the TW 2000 uses swing-slide doors that close somewhat more slowly than the folding doors of the TW 6000. Instead of folding steps, lift-swivel steps are used. The wood-clad seats are ergonomically shaped. They are largely arranged lengthways, which led to controversial discussions in the run-up to procurement. A soft white light from fluorescent tubes creates a pleasant atmosphere.
The front window of the TW 2000 bulges strongly, which leads to numerous reflections and glare. On the one hand, this impairs the driver's view, and on the other hand, destination displays can sometimes be difficult to read from the outside.
The cars are equipped with several TFT screens arranged in pairs , which for the first time offer passengers the passenger television that is being looked after by the public broadcast broadcasting company . The screen on the left shows the next stations and transfer options. Advertisements and news are shown on the right screen.
In addition, a video surveillance system has now been installed in 77 “Silver Arrows” (2021–2048 and 2521–2569). This is intended to protect the car against vandalism and offer passengers more safety. The recordings are saved on a permanent memory in the driver's cab and overwritten after 24 hours, provided no special events have occurred that require an evaluation of the recordings.
In contrast to the TW 6000, there have been no extensive tests or even pre-series vehicles with the 2000 series. Only the driver's cab was installed on a test basis in a car from the TW-6000 series to check the ergonomics . When the TW 2000 was put into operation, there were numerous teething troubles, the most persistent of which were probably the problems with the step mechanics: At times, at least one door on every car in the TW 2000 series was not functional. In addition, the car's electronics are controlled by a 386- based system that has occasionally malfunctioned. Due to the troubleshooting that was then required, it took several minutes until the vehicle was ready to drive again.
Even after years of use, the wagons could still come up with unpleasant surprises: In autumn 2004, the entire TW-2000 fleet was available for short-term use after the axle bearings had overheated several times for no apparent reason and a risk to operation could not be ruled out. In the short term, the problem was solved by increasing the use of still available TW 6000s and regular checking of the TW 2000s that were still in operation. The passengers had to change vehicles at the depot during operation ; the cleared train was then checked in the work pit for increased axle bearing temperatures. After a few weeks, all trains were equipped with temperature sensors in the axle bearings, which can detect and report a hot bearing in good time. In the long term, all axle bearings will be replaced as part of the usual maintenance work .
commitment
Because of the greater width of 2.65 meters compared to the TW 6000 and the resulting greater spacing between the tracks, the TW 2000s still cannot be used on all routes in the network. At first they were only used on the B line. By the year 2000, the C-route, with the exception of the branches Nackenberg - Kirchrode and Hogrefestraße - Stöcken, was TW-2000-compatible. TW 2000s have been able to travel on line 3 (A route) since May 2006. For this purpose, a large part of the route on Podbielskistraße had to be widened and the Beekestraße stop had to be rebuilt. Since a line network change in December 2009, the TW 2000 can also travel on line 7. The TW 2000 has also been running on Line 10 since September 2017, after Line 10 had already been running on TW 2000 during the summer holidays of 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 during a diversion into the A tunnel. Since December 2017, the TW 2000 has also been traveling on line 5. Despite a ban on encountering TW 2000 and TW 3000 in Deisterstraße, the TW 2000 is also traveling more and more frequently on line 17. The Y-traffic on lines 2 and 8 has been running since December 2019 driven with TW 2000.
For the TW 2000, the following sections of the route are still closed because the track spacing is too small in places:
- Noltemeyerbrücke - Fasanenkrug from the depot entrance
- Schwarzer Bär - Empelde from the junction into Falkenstrasse
Line 9 is therefore the only line that cannot yet run with TW 2000. It has not yet been determined when line 9 will run with TW 2000.
When the tracks are completely renewed in these areas, the track spacing is adjusted to a vehicle width of 2.65 meters.
Up to three vehicles are used in regular service in a train. A train then consists of two TW 2500 and one TW 2000. Three TW 2000s are not possible because, according to BOStrab, the length of the trains in road traffic must not exceed 75 m. This operational limitation means that the TW 2000 come to a significant lower annual mileage than the TW 2500. On the lines 1 and 4 run since 2001 three-car trains at rush hour , on line 3 since June 2006 and on the line 6 since December 2009. With a special permit, 100-meter-long four-car trains are also in use on the lines to the exhibition grounds. They are usually made up of two TW 2500 and two TW 2000, as the four-car trains can easily be shortened by one or two cars when the rush of passengers subsides.
Since the outer doors of the TW-2000 vehicles are not at the end of the car, the platforms can be around five meters shorter than the longest train sets in use. Platforms with a length of 70 meters are required for three-car trains, and 45 meters for two-car trains.
literature
- Horst Moch: Tram in Hanover , Verlag Kenning, Nordhorn 2004, ISBN 3-933613-45-0
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Tram magazine . GeraMond-Verlag, Munich. Issue 3/2010, p. 40. ISSN 0340-7071 .
- ↑ Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung of March 6, 2009, p. 13
- ↑ Tram magazine, local transport. GeraMond-Verlag, Munich. Issue 3/2010, p. 39, ISSN 0340-7071 .
- ↑ Tram magazine, local transport. GeraMond-Verlag, Munich, edition 3/2010, p. 37, ISSN 0340-7071 .
- ↑ Tram magazine, local transport. GeraMond-Verlag, Munich. Issue 3, 2010, p. 41 (caption). ISSN 0340-7071 .