Ultra Low Floor

ULF (B1) in Vienna (April 2009)
ULF (A1) Oradea (June 2009)

The Ultra Low Floor tram (ULF) is a low-floor tram operating in Vienna, Austria, and Oradea, Romania, built by a consortium composed of Siemens and ELIN in Vienna. It has the lowest floor-height of any such vehicle.

Overview

Motor of an ULF

In contrast to other low-floor trams, the floor in the interior of ULF is at sidewalk height (about 20 cm or 7.9 inches above the road surface), which makes access to trams easy for passengers in wheelchairs or with baby carriages. This configuration required a new undercarriage. The axles had to be replaced by a complex electronic steering of the traction motors. Auxiliary devices are installed largely under the car's roof.

The ULF technology went into testing in the early 1990s. Since 1998, ULFs have been in use on Vienna's tram network. As of mid-2008, 302 cars were in operation (150 cars since mid-2006, and another 152 as of 2007).

Siemens ULF trams were introduced in Oradea, Romania, on 24 April 2008, and are the only ULF trams outside Austria.[1]

Technical specifications

City / Operator Type designation Built in Number of vehicles Length Width Weight (empty) Maximum power
Vienna / Wiener Linien A 1995 (prototype), 1997 50 24.2 m (79 ft 4+34 in) 2.4 m (7 ft 10+12 in) 30 t (29.5 long tons; 33.1 short tons) 6 × 60 kW (80 hp)
A1 2007–2015 80 6 × 36 kW (48 hp)
B 1995 (prototype), 1998 100 35.3 m (115 ft 9+34 in) 43 t (42.3 long tons; 47.4 short tons) 8 × 60 kW (80 hp)
B1 2009-2015 100 8 × 36 kW (48 hp)
Oradea / OTL A1 2008–2009 10 24.2 m (79 ft 4+34 in) 30 t (29.5 long tons; 33.1 short tons) 6 × 36 kW (48 hp)

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ "Oradea orders export ULF". Railway Gazette International. 5 Feb 2008.

External links

  • Railway Gazette
  • Siemens ULF technical overview
  • (in German) Ulf story
  • (in German) Unofficial website about Ulf
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