Re: New Melbourne trams have fewer seats than the old ones but they're longer!

["Ted Gay" <tedgay@bigpond.com>]

"David McLoughlin" <davemclNOSPAM@iprolink.co.nz> wrote in message
news:399DE6E7.7629@iprolink.co.nz...
> Courtesy of Wolfgang Auer in Wien, I have a set of blueprint-style
> diagrams of the new Combino trams ordered by Swanston Trams in
> Melbourne.
>
> I am amazed to see that the new trams, despite being much longer than
> the existing Melbourne trams, have far fewer seats. I predict when the
> public discover this, there will be an uproar in the news media.
>
> The order for 59 Combinos has two sub-orders, for three-section
> articulated trams and for five-section articulated trams.
>
> The three-section trams will be 19.08 metres long and from the diagrams
> appear to have 28 seats. There are certainly no more than 32.
>
> By comparison, Z1-class trams which they are supposed to replace are
> 16.6 metres long and have 48 seats.
>
> The five-section Combinos are 28.89 metres long and as far as I can see
> from the diagrams have no more than 56 seats, but possibly less (I think
> some of the seats in both models are fold-up slots for wheelchairs
> rather than standard double seats for ambulent passengers).
>
The Adtranz Vario tram used in Sydney is 28.28 metres long with 74 seats
<and 2 for the driver!  :-)>  A German design but built in Melbourne with
Aussie modifications, really makes you think.

In comparison the last Sydney designed tram, the R1 class introduced in
1935, had 56 seats, most had tip over backs therefore 48 passengers could
ride facing forward, whereas all modern trams have fixed seating ensuring
that half the passengers are riding with their back to the direction of
travel or are sitting side on which is not comfortable on any but short
trips.

 Regards... Ted

> By comparison, Melbourne's existing articulated trams, the B classes,
> are much shorter at 23.63 metres yet they have comfortable seating for
> 76 people.
>
> Somebody really seems to have goofed with this new tram order. Longer
> trams with fewer seats?  The proverbial will hit the fan in a big way
> the moment these trams hit the streets or the useless Melbourne news
> media get a tip-off.
>
> Combinos are European trams designed for the much shorter tram routes
> found in compact European cities, where passengers don't mind standing
> for the short journey from home to work/shopping and back etc.
>
> Melbourne's existing trams are Melbourne-designed (and built)
> specifically for the much longer tram routes Melbourne has (two of them
> the 75 and the 86, are almost 21 km long and many Melbourne routes are
> 10-15 km long). Thus there have always been many more seats in Melbourne
> trams than in European trams.
>
> At present, most passengers on routes such as 1 South Melbourne Beach or
> 6 Glen Iris or 1 East Coburg are assured of a seat even in peak hour
> because the trams used on those lines have at least 48 seats. Up to 100
> more passengers can cram in standing but this only happens on the inner
> portions of the routes. Longer-distance riders always have or get a
> seat.
>
> With the new trams, many long-distance riders will be forced to stand
> for their entire journey because there are simply not enough seats. The
> problem will be worse if service frequencies are reduced because of
> articulated trams replacing bogie trams, which is what happened on most
> Melbourne routes where Bs took over.
>
> Franchising the trams out to foreign companies means the franchisees buy
> their new trams from Europe to European designs. It's a step backwards.
> All previous Melbourne trams have been built in Melbourne to Melbourne
> designs for Melbourne conditions.
>
> David McLoughlin
> Auckland New Zealand