Variobahn

Variobahn in Helsinki (2004)

Variobahn in Sydney (2005)

Variobahn in Bergen (2010)

Variobahn in Mainz (2019)

The Variobahn (also Variotram ) is a low-floor - tram -Fahrzeugtyp in multi-joint design with floating middle parts. Thanks to the modularization, the Variobahn is available in different lengths, wagon widths and track gauges , as a one-way or two-way vehicle and with EBO / ESBO equipment for use on railway lines , as used in the Chemnitz model and in the Rhine-Neckar traffic .

The first vehicle was built in 1993 as a prototype and used in Chemnitz as car number 601.

In some companies, the drive is gearless by means of water-cooled wheel hub asynchronous motors .

development

The original development goes back to ABB Henschel , which merged with Adtranz in 1996 and merged with Bombardier Transportation in 2001 . As part of this merger, Stadler Pankow not only took over the modern assembly plant in Berlin-Wilhelmsruh (in the Pankow district), but also received the license to sell and build the Variobahn.

ABB Henschel / Adtranz

ABB Henschel developed the prototype of the Variobahn for Chemnitz, which was tested there from 1993. The series vehicles followed in the years 1998 to 2001.

Vehicles with a very similar design were delivered to the Upper Rhine Railway Company and to Sydney . A single prototype went to Duisburg , but it was only in service there for a short time. Helsinki received a series of 40 vehicles built in cooperation with the Finnish manufacturer Transtech .

Bombardier

After the takeover of Adtranz by Bombardier, the product Variobahn was sold for anti-trust reasons. Stadler Pankow GmbH received the license for sales and construction.

Bombardier was no longer allowed to actively market the Variobahn. All deliveries made by Bombardier after 2001 are option redemptions that were agreed in the context of orders from the then Adtranz.

Stadler Rail

In 2000 the modern assembly plant in Pankow was supposed to be closed after only four years of operation. In order to preserve the location and the existing know-how, a joint venture between Adtranz and Stadler was founded, which was dissolved again in 2001 as part of the takeover of Adtranz by Bombardier. Stadler Rail took over 100 of the plant %. With this acquisition, several license agreements were made. These also affected the Variobahn.

The Variobahn has been designed, developed and built by Stadler Pankow GmbH since 2001. The marketing of the successful type of tram is the sole responsibility of Stadler. The success of the Variobahn began in 2005. The first orders from the cities of Bochum, Nuremberg and Munich filled the order books. Graz, Mainz and Potsdam followed.

Stadler took over the concept and developed a new design. For this she received the Design Award in 2006 with the order for the Bogestra .

Operator and areas of application

Chemnitz

Prototype of the Variobahn in Chemnitz

In addition to the prototype with vehicle number 601, Chemnitzer Verkehrs AG also operates 13 other single (type 6NGT-LDE, operating numbers 601–614) and ten bidirectional cars (type 6NGT-LDZ, no. 901–910). The City-Bahn Chemnitz has six carriages of the type NGT6-LDZ (Nos. 411-416), which are maintained at the CVAG. The City-Bahn wagons are equipped with compromise tires for operation on trams and railway superstructures, train control (PZB I60R), train radio and a horn. In addition, they reach 80 km / h compared to normal light rail vehicles around 10 km / h higher speed.

Rhine-Neckar

V6

V6
OEG-Variobahn of the first series in Mannheim (1996)
Numbering:	117-122
Number:	6th
Manufacturer:	AdTranz
Year of construction (s):	1996
Gauge :	1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Length over coupling:	32.208 m
Height:	3.4 m
Width:	2,500 m
Trunnion Distance:	12 250 mm
Bogie axle base:	1800 mm
Smallest bef. Radius:	23
Empty mass:	38 t
Top speed:	80 km / h
Continuous output :	4 × 95 kW
Power system :	± 750 V =
Power transmission:	Overhead line
Drive:	4 WXA 2544
Coupling type:	Scharfenberg coupling
Seats:	84 + 6
Standing room:	100
Floor height:	350 mm, 630 mm (end car)
Low floor:	75 %
Particularities:	Converter: 13SG31a Control unit: MICAS-S

The Oberrheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (OEG) , which was still an independent company at the time, procured the first Variobahn in the Rhine-Neckar region from 1996 onwards. April 1996 six five-part bidirectional vehicles of the type 6MGT-LDZ for traffic in the city triangle Mannheim / Heidelberg / Weinheim with the car numbers 117 to 122, operational designation V6 . Their exterior design is very similar to the Chemnitz vehicles, but they differ from them in terms of their track width (1000 mm), the smaller vehicle width (2.5 m) and the continuous axles in the driven chassis. To do this, the end of the car floor had to be raised so that about 70% of the car floor is low-floor. Scheduled operations began on April 4. November 1996 on school trains, from 13. January 1997 they were also used on the regular round trains.

After an incident in which a postman fell from a moving train due to a door defect, the vehicles were temporarily parked for a few weeks. After adjusting the door mechanics, they were put back into operation.

The OEG has been part of the Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr (RNV) since 2005, until 2017 all six cars were repainted in the RNV orange / blue / white color scheme. The vehicles of the type V6 are used today on the RNV lines 5, 5A and 15 as well as on the sections between Mannheim main station and MA-Neuhermsheim / MA-Neuostheim. The six cars represent the smallest vehicle series within the RNV.

Rhein-Neckar-Variobahn

→ Main article : Rhein-Neckar-Variobahn

Rhein-Neckar-Variobahn of the VBL in Ludwigshafen (2003)

In 1998 the then still independent transport companies of Mannheim (MVV Verkehr AG), Ludwigshafen (VBL), Oberrheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (OEG) and Heidelberg (HSB) made the move to procure a common vehicle type. The carriages ordered together are called Rhein-Neckar-Variobahn , the exterior design has been redesigned. They are divided into four variants through different car lengths (five-part or seven-part) and the design as one- and two-way cars.

From 2003, the HSB received eight seven-part, almost 40 m long bidirectional cars (company name RNV8ZR , car numbers 273–280), MVV Verkehr AG ten seven-part one-way vehicles of around 42 m length ( RNV8ER , wagon numbers 701–710), Verkehrsbetriebe Ludwigshafen am Rhein GmbH eight five-part one- way vehicles of around 30.5 m length ( RNV6ER , wagon numbers 215–222), the OEG ten five-part, 30.5 m long bidirectional car ( RNV6ZR , car numbers 123–132).

Three more RNV8ERs (no. 711–713) and three RNV6ZR (no. 761–763) for the MVV come from the first option delivery and were put into operation in May 2007, as well as ten more RNV6ZR (wagon numbers 133–142) ​​for the OEG.

As of December 2009, eight additional Variobahn trains from the second optional delivery (wagon numbers 3281–3288) already procured by RNV were put into operation in Heidelberg. Also from this delivery are three RNV8ERs (no. 5714–5716) for Mannheim and eight RNV6ZR (wagon numbers 4143–4150) for the OEG. All vehicles of the second option are equipped with the MITRAC Energy Saver energy storage system .

As the third and final option delivery, twelve more RNV6ZR were delivered between January and July 2013 for the OEG, which are also equipped with energy storage devices (car numbers 4151-4162).

Sydney

Seven Variobahns were in use in Australia. They were procured for use on the newly built Sydney light rail and assembled in the Adtranz plant in Dandenong , a district of Melbourne . The first, 3.6 km long section of today's L1 Dulwich Hill Line from Central Station to Wentworth Park was opened in August 1997 and served by the Variobahn. As in 2000 the route length increased by another 3.6 km after Lilyfield was doubled, the vehicle fleet was barely sufficient. For a planned further extension, six new vehicles were put out to tender in August 2012. The Spanish manufacturer CAF had the tender with Urbos vehicles 3 won. As the extension by 5.6 km after Dulwich Hill went into operation in March 2014, four Urbos vehicles were initially used 2 rented to cope with the additional traffic. The original intention was to subject the Variobahns to a major overhaul together with the newly delivered Urbos 3 to be used on this line. Instead, the order at CAF was increased by a further six vehicles in October 2013, so that from 2015 a single-type vehicle fleet was available with a total of 12 new Urbos and the Variobahn and rental vehicles could be dispensed with. After it was badly damaged in a derailment, the 2106 car was scrapped in 2013. The last Variobahns were shut down in May 2015 and then put up for sale. After no other buyer was found, five cars were scrapped in early 2018. Car 2107 is the last Australian Variobahn to remain in the collection of the Sydney Tram Museum as a museum vehicle .

Helsinki

Between 1998 and 2003, a total of 40 Variobahn trains were purchased in two series for the tram network of the Finnish capital Helsinki (car numbers 201 to 240). The supplier was Adtranz or, from 2001, Bombardier, the cars were assembled in the factory of the Finnish manufacturer Transtech in Otanmäki . The vehicles are designed as one-way vehicles, 2,3 m wide and with a length of 24.4 m the shortest Variobahn ever. The consistently low-floor vehicles are powered by wheel hub motors on all six pairs of wheels. They have 45 permanent seats, 10 folding seats and 80 standing places (on the 5th floor) People / m²).

The Variobahns for Helsinki were equipped with underfloor heating for the first time in trams; the personal settings for the driver's seat and exterior mirrors are saved on a chip card and are set automatically when personnel change. The exterior and interior design of the car was created by the Finnish designer Hannu Kähönen and his agency Creadesign Oy.

After a short period of use, it turned out that the vehicles were not up to the climatic conditions in Finland. Due to technical problems, they had to be withdrawn from circulation again and again. After long negotiations with Bombardier, a maintenance contract was concluded in 2007, and since then all regular vehicle maintenance has been carried out by Bombardier. The closed contract ran until 31. December 2017 and also provided that if the availability rate falls below 35 vehicles, the entire series can be returned to Bombardier for a period of at least three months. The operational availability of the Variobahn had increased significantly as a result of this measure, but the maintenance effort was still very high. As a consequence, the HKL 52 had older high-floor vehicles retrofitted with a low-floor center section in order to modernize the vehicles and extend their service life.

Experience with the Variobahn led to the purchase of the Transtech Artic . The tender for the first 40 vehicles of this type was formulated in great detail in order to obtain vehicles that meet the operational and technical requirements as well as possible. When a further 20 Artic was reordered in December 2016, it was announced for the first time that this order would serve, among other things, to replace the Variobahn.

At the end of August 2017, the HKL announced that a settlement had been reached with Bombardier, in which it was determined that the purchase of the Variobahn would be reversed after the maintenance contract expired at the beginning of 2018. It was discussed in detail whether the vehicles could even meet the demanding requirements in Helsinki. It is certain that they can still have a long and successful life in other cities in Central Europe. A few weeks earlier, cars 234 and 237 had been brought to Ludwigshafen to check whether they could be adapted for temporary use on loan in the Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH network . The operation did not materialize and the two trains were transported to the Bombardier plant in Bautzen in May 2018. At the end of March 2018, 31 of the original 40 vehicles were still in use in Helsinki.

Bochum / Gelsenkirchen

Variobahn on line 302 at Bochum Hauptbahnhof underground station

The BOGESTRA (Bogestra) bought thirty vehicles. On the 5th In March 2008, Stadler Rail delivered the first unit for the Bogestra to the Engelsburg (Bochum) workshop; the last one was delivered in December 2011. In addition, an option for 15 additional vehicles was exercised, the delivery of which began in 2013.

In March 2015, Bogestra decided to put 42 new vehicles out to tender for early replacement of their NF6Ds at short notice , after repeated problems with them. The tender contained an option for eight additional vehicles. In July 2015 it was announced that based on this tender, Stadler will also be purchasing Variobahn. The first twenty vehicles were delivered from 2016 to early 2020.

Nuremberg

A total of eight vehicles were delivered to VAG Nürnberg . As in Munich, the vehicles had to be taken out of service again in 2010 due to registration problems. They are now back in action.

Munich

→ Main article : Munich series S tram

Variobahn car 2302 in Munich (2012)

The MVG Munich has purchased a total of 14 vehicles.

The first four cars were delivered and used in 2009. Due to problems with the chassis, the provisional operating license was canceled on 19. Withdrawn July 2010 and only issued again when the timetable changes in December 2011. Due to technical problems with the wheels, the trains had to be taken out of service again in March 2012. The rubber bodies between the wheel tire and wheel disc show cracks on all tracks and are considered serial damage. MVG therefore did not take advantage of an option for ten more vehicles; the fourteenth vehicle delivered in May 2012 was the last. The provisional operating license was extended several times and only on 30. September 2013 finally granted. In December 2014, due to cracks in the weld seams, some, and shortly afterwards at the beginning of January 2015, all of the Variobahns had to be shut down again. The damage was repaired in May 2015 and since then all lifts have been in normal use.

MVG ordered one of the 14 Variobahn wagons with an additional energy storage device for testing, which was delivered by 2010. With this memory it should be possible to cover a distance of 900 to 1000 m to cover without overhead lines . This should enable the construction of the north bypass through the English Garden without installing an overhead line. Without the operating permit for the Variobahn, no test operation could take place, which focused in particular on the steep gradients in a section of the north bypass. During a test drive near Velten on 23. In May 2011, a range of 18.98 was achieved in battery mode on a flat track km achieved and the world record confirmed.

Graz

Variobahn car in Graz (2011)

In 2007 the city ​​of Graz was won as a new customer by Graz Linien (then Grazer Verkehrsbetriebe ). 45 Variobahn trains were delivered to Graz in several tranches between 2009 and 2015.

When the first six units were in use in Graz in 2010, problems arose with regard to significantly higher vibrations and noise emissions compared to the previous tram sets of Graz Linien. As a result of an investigation together with the supplier Stadler, the following measures to reduce the vibration and noise level were decided in 2011: Softer primary and secondary springs in the running gear, new wheels with softer damping characteristics and a new damper system in the form of dynamic damping elements as well as replacement of the metal elements of the linkage Polyurethane elements. The first vehicle repaired in this way was tested until March 2012. After the extensive test drives went very well, all Graz Variobahn wagons were converted or modified accordingly. This significantly reduced the noise and vibration emissions.

Potsdam

Variobahn car in Potsdam (2011)

The supervisory board of ViP Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam GmbH decided in October 2008 to purchase 18 Variobahn cars. Beginning in the first half of 2011, ten vehicles were initially delivered; ViP had an option for the remaining eight vehicles. The first vehicle was launched on Jan. May 2011 at a festive "roll-in". In the summer of 2011, ViP redeemed the option for the next batch of four more vehicles on time. The request for the still missing lot of four more vehicles was made on 26. January 2012 announced by ViP managing director Martin Grießner. Ultimately, the last of a total of 18 trains was delivered to ViP in mid-November 2014.

In May 2012, four of the seven Potsdam Variobahns at that time suffered the same serial damage as the Munich Variobahns a few months earlier, which led to cracks in the rubber bodies of the wheels. Unlike in Munich, the cars could continue to be used. It was determined that every 5000 km or around four weeks, a visual inspection had to be carried out and if the cracks were too large, the wheel had to be replaced, which took around a day per car.

In 2013, clutch damage occurred in eight of the ten vehicles delivered, which meant that all clutch systems had to be overhauled.

An error that previously only occurred in Potsdam, which led to a risk of derailment, was discovered during a routine inspection in January 2014 on 13 of the 14 Vario railways delivered at the time. The track clearance was too small because the tolerance was not reached, the problems mainly existed on the running axles. All faulty cars were parked immediately, only the youngest car was not affected. Later it turned out that the wheel inclination was slight, so that two opposing wheels had a slight V-shaped position to one another. After the wheels were re-profiled in the ViP workshop, the affected wagons could be used again for regular services. In addition, a greatly shortened inspection frequency of 1000 km (about three days).

Mainz

Variobahn in Mainz (2016)

A contract between Stadler Rail and Mainzer Verkehrsgesellschaft provided for the delivery of nine vehicles from September 2011. An option for additional vehicles was implemented in the course of implementing the planned network expansion . The order was placed in cooperation with the Grazer Linien, which enabled the Mainz-based company to secure a price advantage that made new purchases possible.

The first vehicle reached September 2011 the depot of the Mainzer Verkehrsgesellschaft. It's been since the 19th December 2011 in service. The Mainzer Verkehrsgesellschaft has redeemed the option for ten more Variobahn trains. The delivery of the option vehicles began at the end of October 2015 and the last car no. 236 completed at the end of October 2016.

London

Tramlink Variobahn in Croydon Centrale (2012)

In January 2011, Transport for London (TfL) published a tender for the delivery of ten new or used light rail vehicles from summer 2011 to expand the existing fleet of 24 Bombardier Flexity Swift CR4000s . The new vehicles were to be used on the Tramlink Croydon light rail network in south London, between Therapia Lane and Elmers End. On the 18th August 2011, TfL announced the signing of a contract with Stadler for six Variobahns worth 16.3 million pounds. The first vehicle was delivered in January 2012. The vehicles for London largely correspond to the Variobahn trains used by the Bergen light rail system; they are 32.37 m long, 2.65  wide and have 72 permanent seats, 12 folding seats and 134 standing places. The floor height is 38.5 cm, whereby the interior of the car is stepless. The first three cars were diverted from a redeemed option for Bergen in production. In August 2013, Tfl ordered another four Variobahns for use between Wimbledon and Croydon for delivery in 2015. This order was later increased by two to six vehicles. The twelfth and last car was launched on 9. Delivered October 2016.

Type overview

image	operator	place	country	Manufacturer	Construction year	Vehicle no.	Number	Type * 1	Track mm	Length in m	Width in m	Voltage V =	NF * 2	plant	Others
	CVAG	Chemnitz	Germany	ABB Henschel	1993	601	14th	HE	1435	31.38	2.65	600	100 %	Borsigwalde	prototype
				Adtrance	1999/2000	602-614								Bautzen	Wheel arrangement : Bo'2'Bo '
					1998-2000	901-910	10	ZR
	City train	Chemnitz	Germany	Adtrance	2001	411-416	6th	ZR	1435	31.38	2.65	600/750	100 %	Bautzen	EBO-compatible
	RNV (formerly  HSB )	Heidelberg	Germany	Bombardier	2002/2003	3273-3280	16	ZR	1000	39.42	2.4	750	350 mm, 70 %	Bautzen	ESBO compatible
					2009/2010	3281-3288
	RNV (formerly  VBL )	Ludwigshafen	Germany	Bombardier	2003	2215-2222	8th	HE	1000	30.53	2.4	750	350 mm, 70 %	Bautzen	ESBO compatible
	RNV (formerly  MVV )	Mannheim	Germany	Bombardier	2002/2003	5701-5710	16	HE	1000	42.78	2.4	750	350 mm, 70 %	Bautzen	ESBO compatible
					2007	5711-5713
					2010	5714-5716
					2007	5761-5763	3	ZR		30.53
	RNV (formerly  OEG )	Mannheim	Germany	Adtrance	1996	4117-4122	6th	ZR	1000	32.20	2.5	750	350 mm, 70 %	Borsigwalde	ESBO compatible; 4349 Bombardier-owned driving school car
				Bombardier	2002	4123-4132	40			30.53	2.4			Bautzen
					2006	4133-4142
					2010	4143-4148, 4150, 4349
					2013	4151-4162
	Metro Light Rail	Sydney	Australia	Adtrance	1997	2101-2107	7th	ZR	1435	29	2.7	750	300 mm, 100 %	Dandenong
	DVG	Duisburg	Germany	Adtrance	1996	2000	1	ZR	1435		2.3		100 %	Borsigwalde	only 1 vehicle procured
	HKL	Helsinki	Finland	Adtranz, Transtech	1999-2003	201-240	40	HE	1000	24.4	2.3	600	375/325 mm, 100 %	Otanmäki
	Bogestra	Bochum and Gelsenkirchen	Germany	Stadler	2008-2011	501-530	45	ZR	1000	29.62	2.3	600/750	350 mm, 100 %	Pankow	Option of 8 pcs.
					2013-2015	531-545
					2016–	101–	42
	VAG	Nuremberg	Germany	Stadler	2007-2009	1201-1208	8th	HE	1435	33.94	2.3	600	350 mm, 100 %	Pankow
	MVG	Munich	Germany	Stadler	2008-2011	2301-2304, 2311-2320	14th	HE	1435	33.94	2.3	750	100 %	Pankow	Option of 8 pcs.
	Graz Lines	Graz	Austria	Stadler	2009-2015	201-245	45	HE	1435	27,468	2.3	600	350 mm, 100 %	Pankow
	Bybanen	Mountains	Norway	Stadler	2009/2010	201-212	28	ZR	1435	32.18	2.65	750	350 mm, 100 %	Pankow	Option of 15 hours
					2011–2012	213-217
	ViP	Potsdam	Germany	Stadler	from 2011	421-438	18th	HE	1435	29.62	2.3	600	350 mm, 100 %	Pankow
	MVG	Mainz	Germany	Stadler	2011–2012	217-225	19th	HE	1000	30.068	2.3	750	350 mm, 100 %	Pankow
					2015-2016	227-236
	TfL	London	Great Britain	Stadler	2012-2016	2554-2565	12	ZR	1435	32.37	2.65	750	385 mm, 100 %	Pankow
	Aarhus Letbane I / S	Aarhus	Denmark	Stadler	2015-2017	1101 + 1201 - 1114 + 1214	14th	ZR	1435	32.56	2.65	750	385 mm, 100 %	Pankow	Both heads of a vehicle are individually numbered 11xx + 12xx
	Odense Letbane	Odense	Denmark	Stadler			16		1435					Pankow

^*1 Vehicle type: ER = one-way vehicle, ZR = two-way vehicle

^{* 2} Floor height (with two values ​​for the interior / door area) and low-floor area

Individual evidence

1. ^ Martin Pabst: Tram and light rail vehicles, GeraMond-Verlag, 2007, ISBN 978-3-7654-7371-5
2. ^ Information sheet from CVAG Chemnitz from 1993: front and back (PDF)
3. ↑ Variobahn Chemnitz. CVAG, accessed February 2, 2010 . 
4. ↑ The Variobahn NGT6-LDZ. City-Bahn Chemnitz , accessed on September 9, 2018 . 
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m} https://www.rnlf.de/read.php?13803,684025
6. ↑ Press release RNV, July 27, 2006: The vehicle fleet with low-floor comfort is expanding ( memento of the original from July 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
7. ↑ Press release RNV, June 14, 2007: New vehicle family offers more convenience for public transport customers ( Memento of the original from July 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
8. ↑ Bombardier press release, December 18, 2009: New Bombardier trams from Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH are starting up with innovative energy storage devices
9. ↑ RNV press release, December 21, 2009: The first RNV energy storage railways are going into use ( Memento of the original from July 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
10. ^ Railway Gazette International: August 24, 2012: CAF wins Sydney tram order (English)
11. ↑ Trolley Wire , issue 337 of May 2014, page 22: Sydney's light rail extension opens (English)
12. ↑ NSW e-Tendering Archived Tenders, May 15, 2015: Sale of Variotram light rail vehicles (English)
13. ↑ Data sheet Variobahn Helsinki ( Memento from October 14, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) (Finnish / English)
14. ↑ 20 new Artic trams for Helsinki. City of Helsinki, December 8, 2016, accessed January 4, 2017 (Finnish). 
15. ↑ HKL and Bombardier conclude a settlement agreement together. City of Helsinki, August 29, 2017; Retrieved August 31, 2017 (Finnish). 
16. ↑ HKL: low-floor wagons 201-240. Retrieved June 25, 2018 (Finnish). 
17. ↑ First series complete - 30. Variobahn arrived at BOGESTRA. Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Straßenbahnen AG, December 8, 2011, accessed on December 29, 2011 . 
18. ↑ Bogestra redeems the option on 15 Variobahns. Eisenbahnjournal Zughalt.de, June 24, 2010, accessed on July 19, 2010 . 
19. ↑ Delivery order for 42 + 8 tram vehicles. TED.europa.eu, March 18, 2015, accessed July 26, 2015 . 
20. ↑ News about the procurement of replacements for NF6D trams. Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Straßenbahnen AG, July 24, 2015, accessed on July 26, 2015 . 
21. ↑ Nuremberg is also taking the Variobahn out of service. Eisenbahnjournal Zughalt.de, July 21, 2010, accessed on July 23, 2010 . 
22. ^ Munich: Variobahns are temporarily out of service. Eisenbahnjournal Zughalt.de, July 18, 2010, accessed on July 19, 2010 . 
23. ↑ Variobahn apparently shortly before approval. (PDF; 52 kB) (No longer available online.) MVG, December 9, 2011, archived from the original on June 10, 2012 ; Retrieved May 29, 2012 . 
24. ↑ Back to the siding. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . March 27, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2012 . 
25. ↑ MVG timetable 2013: Full speed ahead! September 5, 2012, accessed September 24, 2012 . 
26. ↑ Variobahn: Manufacturing company Stadler is responsible for serial damage. (PDF; 53 kB) MVG, March 26, 2012, archived from the original on October 17, 2013 ; Retrieved May 29, 2012 . 
27. ↑ Problems with the MVG - Wanted: used trams. Süddeutsche Zeitung, May 29, 2012, accessed on May 29, 2012 . 
28. ↑ Variobahn: Preliminary approval extended. August 31, 2012, accessed September 24, 2012 . 
29. ↑ Munich has too few trams. January 7, 2015, accessed January 8, 2015 . 
30. ↑ The battery alternative. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . May 23, 2011, accessed September 24, 2012 . 
31. ^ M. Völklein: New trams are unused in the depot. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . November 4, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2018 . 
32. ↑ Arnd Werther: Munich Variobahn creates a record. In: https://www.bahninfo.de . May 26, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2018 . 
33. ↑ Iris Stroh: New Guinness world record Title: Stadler Variobahn sets world record with battery. In: https://www.elektroniknet.de . Markt + Technik Verlag , August 16, 2011, accessed on August 28, 2018 . 
34. ↑ www.kleinezeitung.at. Kleine Zeitung , March 7, 2011, archived from the original on March 10, 2011 . 
35. ^ Eisenbahn Österreich , 12/2011, page 612: Stadler problems in Austria before the solution?
36. ↑ Stadler Variobahn Graz on www.strassenbahn-online.de
37. ^ Potsdam orders 19 trams from Stadler. In: Potsdam's latest news . January 20, 2009, accessed April 28, 2015 . 
38. ↑ Press releases: “Roll-in” for the first Variobahn in Potsdam. (No longer available online.) Stadtwerke Potsdam, May 13, 2011, archived from the original on September 24, 2015 ; Retrieved April 28, 2015 . 
39. ↑ Rainer Schüler: ViP increases to 18 Vario tracks. Conclusion after four months of test operation: Everything is going well / retrofitting only for the standing area handles. In: Märkische Allgemeine . January 27, 2012, archived from the original on August 4, 2012 ; Retrieved April 28, 2015 . 
40. ↑ Carola Hein: Last of 18 Vario trains put into service. In: Märkische Allgemeine . November 24, 2014, accessed April 28, 2015 . 
41. ↑ Sabine Schicketanz : Potsdam: Serial damage in the Variobahn: cracks in rubber tires. In: Potsdam's latest news . May 31, 2012, accessed May 3, 2015 . 
42. ↑ ^{a b} Marco Zschieck: Tram crisis: Hope for a quick end. In: Potsdam's latest news . January 25, 2014, accessed May 3, 2015 . 
43. ^ Nadine Fabian: Variobahn in Potsdam shut down. In: Märkische Allgemeine . January 24, 2014, accessed May 3, 2015 . 
44. ↑ Rainer Schüler: Further uncertainty about Vario-Trams. In: Märkische Allgemeine . February 5, 2014, accessed May 3, 2015 . 
45. ↑ New trams offer more comfort. Mainzer Allgemeine Zeitung, archived from the original on June 18, 2009 ; Retrieved December 26, 2009 . 
46. ↑ Press release of the Mainzer Verkehrsgesellschaft
47. ↑ The first real Mainzelbahn has arrived - press release from the Mainzer Verkehrsgesellschaft
48. ↑ List of tram vehicles. Website of the Tram Friends Mainz, accessed on January 4, 2017 . 
49. ↑ 'News in Brief - New Trams for Croydon' Rail Magazine Issue 663, 9. – 22. February 2011, page 16
50. ^ Tramlink to aid regeneration of Croydon. In: TfL website. Transport for London, August 18, 2011, accessed January 3, 2017 . 
51. ↑ London Tramlink orders more Stadler trams. Railway Gazette, August 21, 2013, accessed January 3, 2017 . 
52. ^ London Tramlink orders four new trams for Wimbledon branch. In: TfL website. Transport for London, August 30, 2013, accessed January 3, 2017 . 
53. ↑ Croydon Tramlink Car List. In: British Trams Online. Gareth Prior, November 27, 2016, accessed January 3, 2017 . 
54. ↑ Vehicle list VBL
55. ↑ Vehicle list MVV OEG AG
56. ↑ Light Rail Tech Sheet ( Memento from February 15, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 349 kB)
57. ↑ Variobahn Helsinki data sheet on the website of the Finnish Tramway Society ( Memento from October 14, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
58. ^ VAG company / vehicles / trams ( Memento from February 11, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
59. ↑ Stefan Klotz: Variobahn low-floor tram for the Potsdam VIP transport company. (PDF (143.86 kB)) (No longer available online.) Stadtwerke Potsdam GmbH , January 30, 2009, archived from the original on March 3, 2016 ; Retrieved December 15, 2011 . 
60. ↑ Stadler Rail : Variobahn low-floor tram. (PDF) Retrieved February 14, 2017 . 

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