The first day of the InnoTrans event saw the Škoda 36T tram revealed, which will be used by German customer Rhein Neckar Verkehr.

The brand new 30-metre vehicle will be operated by Rhein Neckar Verkehr in Mannheim in the cities of Heidelberg and Ludwigshafen and marks a unique facility as not only will it run in the cities but will also work as a tram-train on regional lines which connect the three federal republics.

Didier Pfleger, CEO of the Škoda Group said: “The delivery of trams for customer rnv is a large and important contract for us. I am pleased that we can see here together the result of the hard work of the large team of people involved in the tram’s production. This is the first time we are showing this new vehicle, which will be in service for decades to come on city and regional lines in the Rhine-Neckar region,”

“Of course, we fine-tune the vehicles for each customer to suit local conditions and the high demands of passengers. This was no different with the trams for rnv, for which we designed completely unique innovations. The longest tram in the world to date, with a length of almost 60 metres, is also part of the delivery,”

Martin In Der Beek, CTO of rnv said: “I cannot overstate the importance of this occasion for our company, our customers and for our shareholders. What you see behind me is the future of rnv, or at least one of the fundamental pillars of that future,”

“We are convinced, that the Rhein-Neckar-Tram or RNT, as we call it, is a major step towards our vision of an even better public transport. Now it is extremely important that we receive the first vehicles as soon as possible and that the homologation process is swiftly concluded. In April 2023, Mannheim will host the Bundesgartenschau, the world’s largest horticultural show, which is an extremely important event for our region. The RNT is planned to be the showpiece of our modern and sophisticated public transportation system. So, as you can see, there is a certain urgency in the schedule of this project.”

Christopher Schreiner, Project Engineer at Škoda Group said: “In light of current trends, we focused on long-term sustainability, passenger comfort and modern design when developing the tram. The tram is fully air-conditioned and will ensure the comfort of passengers up to 50 degrees Celsius. A boarding platform and all important safety and orientation features are provided for passengers with reduced mobility,”

Škoda Group’s tram ForCity Smart 36T is a bi-directional low-floor tram with pivoting bogies and is 30.5 m in length with a gauge of 1,000 mm and a maximum speed of 80 km/h. The tram can carry 178 people with seating for 72 and features low-floor entry, a barrier-free area for wheelchair users and those travelling with prams as well as wide double doors which provide passengers with the ability to change quickly at stops which will bring greater transport efficiency. The trams also included the very latest information systems and cameras.

The €250 million contract will see Škoda Group deliver 80 vehicles to Rhein Neckar Verkehr customers which is made up of 31 x 30-metre vehicles, 37 x 40-metre vehicles and 12 x 60-metre vehicles. The contract also features an option to extend to another 34 vehicles.

 Below are the technical details of the Škoda trams for Rhein Neckar Verkehr: