UTM Universal Transport GmbH uses a rail vehicle solution with Goldhofer vehicles to gradually transport 30 new streetcars for Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG, the municipal transport company of the city of Dresden in Germany. They are 35 cm wider, which enables an additional seat, and are manufactured at Alstom’s Bautzen rail car plant.
UTM has already transported the first of the 45 m long, 58 t streetcar cars to the Dresden freight center in September. 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,” says Peter Klemenz, Project Manager Rail Vehicles at UTM in Eisenhüttenstadt. Additional relief 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 Goldhofer’s load securing concept with numerous fastening options and lashing points.
