In Dnipro, German trams save up to 30% of energy and cost 1200 euros per unit

One tram from the new 2024 batch. Photo: Dnipro City Council

After a two-year break, Dnipro has resumed receiving energy-efficient tramcars from Germany. A new batch of 26 trams was purchased from the German city of Leipzig at a symbolic price of €1,200 per unit, and the first 7 trams have already arrived at the Dnipro depot. As a result, the number of Leipzig trams on the streets of the Ukrainian city will increase from 50 to 76 units.

The Czech Tatra T4D-M1 cars, although old, have a modern control system, fully renovated interiors, more comfortable working conditions for drivers, and significantly better energy efficiency thanks to a recent modernization carried out in Germany.

According to a press release from the Dnipro City Council, the new trams are equipped with transistor-pulse control systems that save up to 30% of electricity compared to trams using rheostat-contactor systems.

Before entering service, trams from Leipzig undergo adaptation due to the difference in track gauge (1458 mm in Leipzig and 1524 mm in Dnipro). First of all, new bogies are being installed on the cars from Germany that meet the track standard used in Dnipro.

Dnipro received the first 20 trams from Leipzig in 2019, the next batch of 20 units was delivered in 2020, and the remaining 10 units arrived in the Ukrainian city in 2021.

Dnipro also received used but modernized trams from other German cities, including Dresden. Back in the early 2000s, the Ukrainian city purchased Tatra T3DC1 and Tatra T3DC2 tramcars from Schwerin (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). In 2011, Tatra T4DM trams from Magdeburg (Saxony-Anhalt) arrived in Dnipro. Two years later, in 2013, the city purchased 30 Tatra T6A2M cars from Berlin.

As of the end of 2023, Dnipro's tram infrastructure included 172 km of tracks and one depot. On this infrastructure, Dnipro Electric Transport operated 13 tram routes with a total length of 250 km using 150 tram cars. In 2023, according to the annual report of Dnipro Electric Transport, 23.7 million passengers were transported by trams in Dnipro.

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