The Siemens–Duewag U2 is a type of
light rail
Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...
vehicle (LRV), built by consortium of
Siemens
Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...
,
Duewag
Düwag or Duewag (stylised in all caps), formerly Waggonfabrik Uerdingen, was a German manufacturer of rail vehicles. It was sold in 1999 to Siemens with the brand later retired.
History
Duewag was founded in March 1898 as Waggonfabrik U ...
and
Wegmann & Co
The form coach factory of Wegmann & Co. was founded in 1882 in Kassel (then ''Cassel'') by ''Kommerzienrat'', Peter Wegmann, and Richard Harkort as the Casseler Waggonfabriken von Wegmann, Harkort & Co. In 1886 it changed its name to Wegmann & C ...
built between 1968 and 1990.
The design was based on the prototype U1 tram built in 1965 for the
Frankfurt U-Bahn
The Frankfurt U-Bahn is a Stadtbahn ( premetro) system serving Frankfurt, Germany. Together with the Rhine-Main S-Bahn and the tram network, it forms the backbone of the public transport system in Frankfurt. Its name derives from the German te ...
. The U2 was also designed for and used by the Frankfurt U-Bahn. The name is derived from the class identifier given to the cars in the Frankfurt.
The U2 was later exported to North America and adapted for use on light rail systems in
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
,
Calgary
Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
, and
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, during a period in which few purpose-built LRVs were being manufactured.
History
U1 prototype
In the early 1960s,
Duewag
Düwag or Duewag (stylised in all caps), formerly Waggonfabrik Uerdingen, was a German manufacturer of rail vehicles. It was sold in 1999 to Siemens with the brand later retired.
History
Duewag was founded in March 1898 as Waggonfabrik U ...
developed and manufactured a prototype of a new tram for the
Frankfurt U-Bahn
The Frankfurt U-Bahn is a Stadtbahn ( premetro) system serving Frankfurt, Germany. Together with the Rhine-Main S-Bahn and the tram network, it forms the backbone of the public transport system in Frankfurt. Its name derives from the German te ...
. The design was largely based on the previously delivered trams, but added electronic controls that allowed several railcars to be coupled together to form trains, and a floor height of that made it possible to board from platforms with a height of without having to add a folding step previously used. The new car was debuted at the International Transport Exhibition in Munich in 1965 and two vehicles arrived in Frankfurt in May 1966. There was no further production of the U1, and they were only used in regular service for a few years before being retired in 1976 because of their incompatibility with the rest of the fleet.
U1 production vehicles
With the experience learned from the two prototypes, several changes were made for the production series of cars.
The vehicles were built by consortium of
Siemens
Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...
,
Duewag
Düwag or Duewag (stylised in all caps), formerly Waggonfabrik Uerdingen, was a German manufacturer of rail vehicles. It was sold in 1999 to Siemens with the brand later retired.
History
Duewag was founded in March 1898 as Waggonfabrik U ...
and
Wegmann & Co
The form coach factory of Wegmann & Co. was founded in 1882 in Kassel (then ''Cassel'') by ''Kommerzienrat'', Peter Wegmann, and Richard Harkort as the Casseler Waggonfabriken von Wegmann, Harkort & Co. In 1886 it changed its name to Wegmann & C ...
. Duewag was the primary developer and manufacturer, Siemens provided the electrical equipment, and Wegmann did some assembly under contract.
The U2 vehicle was originally developed for the light rail system in
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
. Its design was later used for systems in
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
and
Calgary
Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
. The model was chosen for operations in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
in 1979, however, the planned platform level was lower than their counterpart system, so a street-level version was developed, and 71 vehicles were eventually delivered in stages.
In Mendoza
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is a public transit service provider for San Diego County, California. The agency operates a transit system that includes the San Diego MTS bus system, San Diego Trolley, and Rapid (San Diego), Rap ...
exported 11 cars to the
Metrotranvia Mendoza system in Argentina in early 2010. These cars entered service in 2012 with a further 24 for expansion and parts donors following later that year.
Refurbishment
Edmonton Transit Service refurbished all 37 of its U2s to extend their operational life by another 10 years. Upgrades included overhauls to the mechanical and electrical systems, the addition of new LED interior and exterior destination signs, additional speakers to improve sound volume, and retrofits for CBTC operation for the Metro Line. Refurbishment was done by
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, with headquarters in Toronto and Berlin. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. ...
in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...
.
Retirement
In 2010, the
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is a public transit service provider for San Diego County, California. The agency operates a transit system that includes the San Diego MTS bus system, San Diego Trolley, and Rapid (San Diego), Rap ...
sold 35 cars to Mendoza, Argentina, followed by the bulk of its U2 fleet retiring in 2013, when the
Orange Line received low-floor cars. The remainder were used on its
initial operating segment until January 2015. In 2016, two cars were shipped to
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
for use at a dog training facility, The majority of the U2's had left the property by 2018, having been either scrapped or donated to museums, with car 1001 being retained.
After 48 years of service, the last Frankfurt examples were retired in April 2016. The Frankfurt cars have been replaced by
Bombardier Flexity Swifts, there are three cars left for museum purposes.
Calgary Transit has begun a similar retirement system as they have begun to introduce the
Siemens S200
The Siemens S200 is a high-floor light rail, light rail vehicle (LRV) manufactured by Siemens Mobility in Florin, California, beginning service in 2016.
The S200 succeeds earlier Siemens high-floor LRV models, including the Siemens SD-100 and S ...
as both a replacement and expansion of the fleet. The city has begun to explore additional disposition options. The U2s in Calgary had been retired in 2016 but there are still 40 in service out of 83 DCs and 2 ACs.
In 2022, Edmonton Transit Service announced that its 37 U2s will be replaced by 2030, as they intend to procure new LRV's in the next eight to ten years.
Technical details
The U2's dimensions are by by . In the US and Canada, usually up to five U2 cars are coupled to run as a train. Calgary Transit regularly couples up six U2 cars to shuttle them from Anderson Garage to Haysboro storage. These unique shuttle trains can be commonly seen after the evening rush hour. Each articulated car has a total passenger capacity of 264 passengers. It may be equipped with two
DC motors for a total power output of and a maximum speed of , or with four
AC motors for an output of and speed of .
As the length of a tram or light-rail train running on shared track is restricted to a maximum of in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, up to four U2 cars may be used in a single
consist
A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...
on such track.
Frankfurt U2 cars use Scheren (diamond) or single-arm (z-shaped)
pantographs, while Calgary, Edmonton and San Diego vehicles use the latter style pantograph exclusively.
In order to operate safely, the cars require to accelerate from a station, and to maintain speed.
Variants

Siemens-Duewag Type U3 is an upgraded version of the U2 with a slightly longer length and cosmetic changes. Introduced in 1977, they entered service in 1980 and will be exported to Monterrey in Mexico, after being retired from service by Germany's
Frankfurt U-Bahn
The Frankfurt U-Bahn is a Stadtbahn ( premetro) system serving Frankfurt, Germany. Together with the Rhine-Main S-Bahn and the tram network, it forms the backbone of the public transport system in Frankfurt. Its name derives from the German te ...
. Three examples will be preserved for museum service
Siemens-Duewag Type U2a on
Sacramento Regional Transit's light rail system is an upgraded version of the U2 that shares similar characteristics of the newer
SD-100s and SD-160s, yet it still uses the mechanical equipment of the U2.
Siemens also developed a U2 running on alternating current motors using inverters (nicknamed the U2-AC). 2 units were purchased by the Government of Alberta in 1988 and operated as demo units for Edmonton and Calgary. Calgary ended up adding the two units to their main fleet until 2015, when both were retired due to part issues. One of the units is still active as a track inspection vehicle, while the other was scrapped for spare parts.
Two variants, designated U2h and U2e, were locally created during the early 2000s in Frankfurt to serve different platform heights on the network. Originally the trains were designed to serve platforms of height, with one large step at each door. As platforms were rebuilt to create a unified standard height of , modifications were required to the fleet: U2h retained a small step to serve platforms on lines U1 to U3, while U2e lost the step entirely to serve and later platforms on lines U4, U6 and U7.
U2 cars acquired, by city
*
Calgary
Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
(
CTrain
CTrain (previously branded C-Train) is a light rail system in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Much of the system functions as a high-capacity light metro, while in the downtown free-fare zone, trains run like a modern tram with a dedicated right-of ...
) — 85 cars (83 U2-DC, and 2 U2-AC acquired from Edmonton)
*
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
(
Edmonton LRT
Edmonton Light Rail Transit, commonly referred to as the LRT, is a light rail system in Edmonton, Alberta. Part of the Edmonton Transit Service (ETS), the system has 29 stations on three lines and of track. Much of the system has a dedicated r ...
) — 37 cars, 2 U2-AC cars operated as demonstrators between 1988 and 1990, plus 3 parts cars acquired from Calgary.
**Retrofitted to have electronic
LED
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...
destination signs on the exterior and interior among other changes, including introducing
moving block
In railway signalling, a moving block is a signalling block system where the blocks are defined in real time by computers as safe zones around each train. This requires both knowledge of the exact location and speed of all trains at any given t ...
communications-based train control
Communications-based train control (CBTC) is a railway signaling system that uses telecommunications between the train and track equipment for traffic management and infrastructure control. CBTC allows a train's position to be known more accura ...
systems installed by
Thales
Thales of Miletus ( ; ; ) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek Pre-Socratic philosophy, pre-Socratic Philosophy, philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. Thales was one of the Seven Sages of Greece, Seven Sages, founding figure ...
which allow the trains to run in a fully automated mode
*
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
(
Public transport in Frankfurt am Main) — 104 cars; U2 cars completely retired from service as of 2016.
*
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
(
San Diego Trolley
The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system serving San Diego County, California. The trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. , is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The trolley operates as a critical componen ...
) — 71 cars; U2 cars completely retired from service on the San Diego Trolley on January 26, 2015
*
Mendoza (
Metrotranvía Mendoza
The Metrotranvía Mendoza ( Spanish for Mendoza Light Rail or fast tramway) is a public light rail transport system for the city of Mendoza, Argentina, served by articulated light rail cars operating on newly relaid tracks in former- General San ...
) — 18 cars (purchased used from San Diego)
U2a cars acquired, by city
*
Sacramento
Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
(
SacRT light rail
The SacRT light rail system serves the Sacramento, California area. It is operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) and has of network comprising three main lines on standard gauge tracks, 53 stations, and a fleet of 121 lig ...
) - 26 cars
Preservation

San Diego MTS retired their last U2 vehicles in January 2015, coinciding with low floor
S70 cars being deployed on its Blue Line, six examples are preserved by various museums and nonprofits.
* San Diego Electric Railway Association (SDERA) - Car 1002, now on display in National City
*
Southern California Railway Museum
The Southern California Railway Museum (SCRM, reporting mark OERX), formerly known as the Orange Empire Railway Museum, is a railroad museum in Perris, California, United States. It was founded in 1956 at Griffith Park in Los Angeles before movin ...
- Cars 1003 and 1008, operate regularly on the Museum system, independently and as a two-car train.
*
Western Railway Museum
The Western Railway Museum, in Solano County, California is located on California State Route 12, Highway 12 between Rio Vista, California, Rio Vista and Suisun, California, Suisun. The museum is built along the former mainline of the
Sacrament ...
- Cars 1017 and 1018, operate on museum excursions
*
Rockhill Trolley Museum
The Rockhill Trolley Museum is a museum and heritage railway in Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania that collects and restores trolley, interurban, and transit cars. Founded in 1960, the museum operates what has been historically referred to as the Sh ...
- Car 1019 operates regularly on the Museum system.
MTS has retained Car 1001 as part of its heritage fleet of light rail vehicles. The car was unveiled as part of a celebration at 12th & Imperial on July 11, 2019, and re-entered service two days later. The car operates on the Silver Line, alongside San Diego PCC cars 529 and 530.
The City of Edmonton has stated that at least one U2 will be preserved and operational for their historical fleet. The City of Calgary is currently looking into putting one on static display.
Cars 303-305 of the Frankfurt system have also been preserved following retirement in 2016.
Gallery
See also
Other Siemens light rail vehicles for the American market:
*
SD-100 and SD-160 – high-floor LRV for either level boarding at high-platform stations or steps for passenger loading at street level
*
SD-400 and SD-460 – high-floor LRV for both level boarding at high-platform stations and with steps for passenger loading at street level
*
SD660 – low-floor LRV for passenger loading at street level, custom built for Portland, Oregon
*
P2000 – high-floor LRV for level boarding at high-platform stations, custom built for Los Angeles
*
S700 and S70 – low-floor LRV for passenger loading at street level
*
S200 – high-floor LRV for level boarding at high-platform stations
See also
*
CTrain
CTrain (previously branded C-Train) is a light rail system in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Much of the system functions as a high-capacity light metro, while in the downtown free-fare zone, trains run like a modern tram with a dedicated right-of ...
*
Edmonton LRT
Edmonton Light Rail Transit, commonly referred to as the LRT, is a light rail system in Edmonton, Alberta. Part of the Edmonton Transit Service (ETS), the system has 29 stations on three lines and of track. Much of the system has a dedicated r ...
*
Frankfurt U-Bahn
The Frankfurt U-Bahn is a Stadtbahn ( premetro) system serving Frankfurt, Germany. Together with the Rhine-Main S-Bahn and the tram network, it forms the backbone of the public transport system in Frankfurt. Its name derives from the German te ...
*
San Diego Trolley
The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system serving San Diego County, California. The trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. , is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The trolley operates as a critical componen ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siemens-Duewag U2
Electric multiple units of the United States
Train-related introductions in 1968
Tram vehicles of Canada
Tram vehicles of Germany
Streetcars of the United States
Siemens tram vehicles
Tram vehicles of Argentina
600 V DC multiple units
750 V DC multiple units
Light rail vehicles
Electric multiple units of Canada
Duewag multiple units