Sep 21 2010
They glide along the streets of Krefeld like sleek red and white arrows: the new low-floor streetcars operated by SWK MOBIL.
Today the last of a total of 19 new streetcars goes into regular service and concludes – for the time being – a genuine Krefeld success story, as large parts of the streetcar bodies were built from stainless steel made in Krefeld by ThyssenKrupp Nirosta. “We knew that our vehicles would be original products of North Rhine-Westphalia. They were manufactured and assembled by Bombardier in Aachen, the undercarriages were made in Siegen and the electrical systems in Düsseldorf,” says Guido Stilling, managing director of SWK MOBIL. “So of course we were particularly pleased that the stainless steel used was produced right here at ThyssenKrupp Nirosta.”
A total of 90 metric tons of Nirosta 4003 stainless steel was used in the side wall frames, various articulated joints and the front end of the cars. “The versatility, excellent formability and durability of stainless steels make them a material of choice for more and more manufacturers in the transport sector,” says Wolfgang Gebel, a technical customer advisor at ThyssenKrupp Nirosta. “Even low-gauge sheet displays high strength and stiffness and makes a major contribution to innovative lightweight designs.”
Krefeld’s new low-floor streetcars are based on the proven Flexity Outlook design from Bombardier which is already being used in cities such as Geneva, Brussels, Valencia, Augsburg and Alicante. SWK MOBIL invested some 45 million euros in the 19 innovative vehicles. The first of them entered service in December 2009, and now car number 19 is going into operation. Guido Stilling: “The response from our passengers has been entirely positive. They particularly like the improved comfort and modern design. And we’re also highly satisfied with the technical side of things.”
Stainless steel made in Krefeld by ThyssenKrupp Nirosta made a major contribution to the success of this project, as was already the case with various other rail vehicles in Basel and shortly also in Berlin. “What we particularly like about this project is that we can now really experience our materials in use. Our stainless steel sheet has been used to build futuristic streetcars which are now a showcase for Krefeld and the entire region,” says Wolfgang Gebel. “Lots of ThyssenKrupp Nirosta’s employees take the number 043 streetcar to work. Now they can commute with pride, knowing ThyssenKrupp Nirosta is on board!”