Re: New Melbourne Trams

[taliesin@chariot.net.au (Taliesin Walker)]

Is it likely that extra seats could be added to these trams if/when
the need becomes apparent or is the small number of seats inherent in
the design?

Tali

On Sun, 11 Feb 2001 20:24:37 +1300, David McLoughlin
<davemcl@NO***damned***SPAMiprolink.co.nz> wrote:

>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