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

[Alex Campbell <lxcmpl@yahoo.com>]

David McLoughlin wrote:

> I have never promoted any such thing, I have merely observed the irony
> of how the US goes out of its way to prevent the importation of many
> fine unsubsidised NZ products into the US but insists other countries
> including NZ allow absolutely free access for subsidised and protected
> US goods.
>

Fair call...  :)

>
>
> > Seriously however were Wolfgang's plans for the actual trams ordered for
> > Melbourne or just the generic Combino plans? Things like seating plans tend to
> > get tailored to each individual customers needs.
>
> No, they just bought off-the shelf Combinos with the standard seating
> layout, identical to the recent Amsterdam order.

Maybe for Swanston Trams buying an off the shelf product from Europe was basically a
way of them getting new trams on the road at the cheapest price, and in the shortest
time frame, to fulfill State government requirements on their franchise for new low
floor trams. A do minimum solution which is not necessarily the most customer
focussed.

Genuinely curious on this one. Easy to make assumptions on this sort of thing, but
if Wolfgang' s plans say that is the plan for Melbourne then that will be the
seating plan for Melbourne.  Otherwise minor details like internal trims, locations
of wheelchair positions, flip down seats and grab rails may be varied to meet the
requirements of each customer, even on a so called standard product. Seating
positions which are "built in" however such as over wheel sets etc obviously won't
be varied on a standard off the shelf product.

Will be watching with interest when the first of these hit the streets in Melbourne.
When are they due to be delivered?

Alex Campbell