New Melbourne Trams

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

I have been a critic of the non-Melbourne design of the new Combino and
Citadis trams on order for Melbourne, mainly on account of their smaller
seating capacity despite being much longer than existing trams. My
criticism is that they are designed for short, very heavily patronised
routes in Europe's compact cities, not the long routes in Melbourne
where most passengers expect a seat for long journeys.

But I must say they are very good-looking trams. Many Combinos and
Citadises are entering service at present in France and Germany (and
Italy and even Japan! Hiroshima is getting a Combino fleet) and they are
very attractive trams.

The Citadis especially (33 on order for the 109 route by Swanston trams)
is one of the nicest looking trams I have ever seen.

I hope that despite their seating limitations, the sheer strikingness of
these trams will lift the image of Melbourne's tram system. 

There are at present some good photos in alt.binaries.pictures.rail of
Citadis and Combino trams on some of the new tramway systems in France.
Also the UK magazine Tramways&Urban Transit (to which I subscribe) has
had many photos of them in recent issues if you can get a copy. There
may be pictures on their website (www.lrta.org).

As far as I can tell from the drawings which Wolfgang Auer of Wien has
kindly sent me from German transit publications, Melbourne's Combinos
and Citadises will be standard models, not the weird variants one or two
European cities have ordered.

David McLoughlin
Auckland New Zealand