Bonn’s first ForCity Smart 41T undergoing winter testing in the Rail Tec Arsenal facility. Škoda
The first Škoda ForCity Smart 41T for the German city of Bonn has left the manufacturer’s factory in Plzeň (Czech Republic) to undergo climatic testing at the Rail Tec Arsenal facility in Wien (Vienna) Floridsdorf.
In December 2019 public transport operator SWB placed an order for 26 double-ended low-floor ForCity Smart 41T trams (subsequently extended to 28) to replace the 1994 Duewag NGT6 stock on Bonn’s urban tramlines.The new vehicles are 30m eight-axle, three-section cars (the centre section is suspended) with four doors on each side; each can accommodate up to 180 passengers.
The order for the 2.4m-wide air-conditioned trams is worth EUR160m and includes the provision of spare parts for a period of 25 years.
At the Rail Tec Arsenal facility the Škoda tram is being exposed to temperatures as low as -28°C and as high as 45°C, with simulated rain and snowfall to evaluate the performance of equipment such as windscreen wipers and raising and lowering of the pantograph.
The first two new trams will be delivered to Bonn this year and numbered 2251-2. The third and subsequent cars will arrive in 2023, and in accordance with Bonn convention will carry a number starting with 23.