Public transport operators VBK and AVG order 25 Citylink NET 2012 light rail vehicles

Vossloh Kiepe GmbH and Vossloh Rail Vehicles have received an order for 25 Citylink NET 2012 light rail vehicles from Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe GmbH (VBK) and Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (AVG).

Public transport operators VBK and AVG placed an order for 25 light rail vehicles of the new low-floor type back in 2011, a second order has now been agreed for supply of a further 25 Citylink NET 2012 vehicles.

The NET 2012 is a barrier-free light rail vehicle which can be operated on all tram lines of the VBK network in the city of Karlsruhe, Germany and its surrounding suburbs. The rail vehicle will also operate on the S1 and S11 rail lines between Hochstetten and Bad Herrenalb / Ittersbach. The first vehicles from the original order were put into operation in October last year.

The current order was tailor-made to cope with the Karlsruhe infrastructure and its regional lines providing access to passengers with restricted mobility across the network.

The Citylink vehicles are equipped with Vossloh Kiepe’s advanced electric technology. The drive of the light rail vehicle is equipped with four IGBT direct pulse inverters. To fulfil the high requirements for redundancy, each of the four three-phase asynchronous motors is supplied by a separate converter. The total motor output of 500 kW, which is installed in two adequate motor bogies, provides good acceleration and service braking values. Vossloh Kiepe delivers the complete traction equipment, the vehicle control system, the on-board power supply system, the air conditioning system for the passenger compartment and the driver’s cab, the train protection system and the passenger information system as well as the CCTV.