Re: [Melb] New trams have few seats [was Batchelor says W-class trams to be back asap

[David McLoughlin <davemcl@NO***damned***SPAMiprolink.co.nz>]

Vaughan Williams wrote:
> 
> > I even tried to tell them that the new Citadis and Combino trams will
> > have fewer seats than even a Z despite being much bigger, and they
> > didn't see the newsworthiness of that either. Even the five-section
> > Combino Swantson Trams is getting will have about 20 fewer seats than
> a B despite being longer.
> 
> I talked to Swanston about this (after finding out from you) and warned
> the DPT. They vehemently denied it, saying that with the four
> wheelchair bays they had the same number of seats.
> 
> Do you have any detailed specs on these, preferably in paper form? I
> asked Swanston for them but they haven't sent them and I don't think
> they will.

Yes, a friend in Austria who posts here at times (Wolfgang Auer) sent me
the specs for the Melbourne Combinos from the German professional city
transport magazine Stadtverkehr, which reproduces Siemens material. It
has drawings with measurements/specs for both the three-section and
five-section Melbourne order that shows the seat layout. There are 28
seats in the three-section one and 56 seats in the five-section one. The
reason for so few seats from looking at these drawings, is that there
are a lot of very wide doors on both sides of the tram, so not much room
for seats.

These trams are designed for European cities which have short routes
with heavy loadings, and also usually turning loops so the trams are
single ended and only have doors down one side, rather than for a city
like Melbourne which has very long routes, with no turning loops, and
thus trams need doors on both sides, yet the traffic demands a greater
requirement for more seats than in Europe.

A few of the seats in the five-section version are 4+4 but most are 2+2
or sideways-facing (longitudinal like in the saloons of the W2s).

There are no 4+4s in the three-section version at all.

Please email me your postal address (remove the spambuster in my address
up top) and I will send you a copy of this document. It's in German
(which I can read okay) but you will have no problem with the scale
drawings if you can't read German.

David McLoughlin
Auckland New Zealand