German rail operator Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG (DVB) is currently introducing 30 new streetcars carriages to its transport network starting 2022. As they are manufactured at Alstom’s Bautzen rail car plant, the units have to be transported to Dresden by UTM Universal Transport GmbH, which uses a rail vehicle trailer solution supplied by Goldhofer.
After extensive route planning, UTM has already delivered the first of the 45 m long, 58 tonne streetcar trains to the Dresden freight center in September. They are 35 cm wider, which enables an additional seat.
The selected combination consists of a four-axle tractor unit, an upstream two-axle heavy-duty module (THP/UT 2), and a seven-axle semi-lowloader for rail transport (STZ-H 7) with gooseneck and hydraulic ramps. With bridge elements of different lengths, UTM can adapt its transport solution to the size of the respective streetcar.
“With this solution, we not only have the high weight of the streetcar safely under control, we can also ensure easy maneuverability of the rail vehicle,” explained Peter Klemenz, Project Manager Rail Vehicles at UTM in Eisenhüttenstadt.
Additional support is provided by the hydraulic ramps and the winch mounted on the gooseneck. “This allows us to pull the streetcar onto the rail system quickly and accurately, and unload it just as quickly.”
Stable support during streetcar transport is provided by the intelligent, easy-to-use Goldhofer load securing concept with numerous fastening options and lashing points. Peter concluded: “With our Goldhofer rail transport vehicles, the delivery of the streetcar runs like clockwork, or better put: like on rails.”
