The Tango is a
light rail vehicle and
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
made by
Stadler Rail
Stadler Rail is a Swiss manufacturer of railway rolling stock, with an emphasis on regional train multiple units and trams. It is also focused on niche products, such as being one of the last European manufacturers of rack railway rolling stock ...
. It can be built as either a 100%
high-floor
High-floor describes the interior flooring of commuter vehicles primarily used in public transport such as trains, light rail cars and other rail vehicles, along with buses and trolleybuses. Interior floor height is generally measured above the ...
or 70%
low-floor
Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e ...
articulated
An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were someti ...
unit. It is in use in
Bochum
Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...
,
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
(BVG-Class IK),
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
,
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
,
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
and
Aarhus
Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...
.
Characteristics
The cities operating Tango are demanding the following characteristics for their rolling stock: speed (up to ), robustness, security and compatibility with the common use of infrastructure, economic (capacity adapted to the traffic and prospects for their development) as well as comfort and aesthetics. In the case of the
Appenzell Railways
Appenzell Railways (german: Appenzeller Bahnen, AB) is a Swiss railway company with headquarters in Herisau. It operates a network of railways in the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, St. Gallen and Thurgau.
History
The ...
, the light rail needs to deal also with
strong gradients in the
foothill
Foothills or piedmont are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills and the adjacent topograp ...
s south of St. Gallen.
Usage
In Lyon, the Tango tram is serving the express line
Rhônexpress
Rhônexpress is an express tram-train service which links central Lyon, France, with its airport, Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport, and the TGV train station located there.
The route is long, and served by six tram-train sets, built by Swiss man ...
linking downtown with
Saint Exupéry Airport, and its TGV train station, opened in 2010.
An order of 32 vehicles has been placed by the city of
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
in December 2009. 20 were ordered by
Stuttgarter Strassenbahnen, the first one being completed in September 2012.
Appenzeller Bahnen
Appenzell Railways (german: Appenzeller Bahnen, AB) is a Swiss railway company with headquarters in Herisau. It operates a network of railways in the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, St. Gallen and Thurgau.
History
Th ...
(AB) has contracted Stadler Rail to deliver seven new Tango for use on the new
Appenzell–St. Gallen–Trogen railway
The Appenzell–St. Gallen–Trogen railway, also known as the Durchmesserlinie (diameter line), is a Metre-gauge railway, metre gauge Interurban, overland tramway in the Swiss cantons of Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden and ...
starting from 2017. Previously, the western line from St. Gallen to Appenzell was operated by heavy rail with a
rack
Rack or racks may refer to:
Storage and installation
* Amp rack, short for amplifier rack, a piece of furniture in which amplifiers are mounted
* Bicycle rack, a frame for storing bicycles when not in use
* Bustle rack, a type of storage bin ...
section.
Aarhus Letbane
The Aarhus Letbane (Aarhus light rail) is a light rail system in the city of Aarhus, Denmark. It is operated by the company Midttrafik. The first line opened in December 2017, but the system is under continuous development and expansion. Servic ...
will receive a mix of 12 Stadler Tango (with a top speed of 100 km/h) and 14
Stadler Variobahn
The Stadler Variobahn (formerly sold as the ABB Variotram, Adtranz Variotram and Bombardier Variotram) is a German-designed model of articulated low-floor tram and light rail vehicle. Since its introduction in 1993, the Variobahn has been manufa ...
, with a total of 26 units.
[stadlerrail.com: ]
' (English, 2016)
See also
*
Variobahn
The Stadler Variobahn (formerly sold as the ABB Variotram, Adtranz Variotram and Bombardier Variotram) is a German-designed model of articulated low-floor tram and light rail vehicle. Since its introduction in 1993, the Variobahn has been manufa ...
, a 100% low-floor tram from the same manufacturer
References
{{reflist
External links
Stadler Rail – Tango (tram)
Tram vehicles of Switzerland
Stadler Rail rolling stock
600 V DC multiple units
750 V DC multiple units