The Siemens–Duewag U2 is a type of light-rail vehicle. The U2 design was built on the Siemens U1 prototype tram built in 1965. The name is derived from the class identifier given to the cars in the Frankfurt system. Originally designed for and used by the Frankfurt U-Bahn, the model of car was adopted for light-rail use by transit systems in Edmonton, Calgary, and San Diego, during a period in which few purpose-built trams were being manufactured. All U2 cars were built between 1968 and 1990.
History
The U2 vehicle was originally developed for the light rail system in Frankfurt. Its design was later used for systems in Edmonton and Calgary. The model was chosen for operations in San Diego in 1979, however, the planned platform level was lower than their counterpart system, so a street-level version was developed, and 71 vehicles were eventually delivered in stages.
MTS exported 11 cars to the Metrotranvia Mendoza system in Argentina in early 2010.These cars entered service in 2012 with a further 24 for expansion and parts donors following later that year.
Retirement
MTS broke ground on the Trolley Renewal project in early 2010, beginning with the sale of 35 cars to Argentina, followed by the bulk of its U2 fleet retiring in 2013, when the Orange Line received low-floor cars. The remainder were used on its initial operating segment until January 2015. In 2016, 2 of the cars were shipped to Texas for use in a dog training facility, The majority of the U2's had left the property by 2018, having been either scrapped or donated to museums, with car 1001 being retained. After 48 years of service, the last Frankfurt examples were retired in April 2016. The Frankfurt cars have been replaced by the Flexity Swift. There are 3 Cars left for museum purposes Calgary Transit has begun a similar retirement system as they have begun to introduce the Siemens S200 as both a replacement and expansion of the fleet. The city has begun to explore additional disposition options. Edmonton Transit Service has now announced that their 37 U2s will be phased out between 2023 and 2025. They have also stated that they are looking into preserving at least one vehicle for their .
Technical details
The U2's dimensions are by by. In the US and Canada, usually up to five U2 cars are coupled to run as a train. Calgary Transit regularly couples up six U2 cars to shuttle them from Anderson Garage to Haysboro storage. These unique shuttle trains can be commonly seen after the evening rush hour. Each articulated car has a total passenger capacity of 264 passengers. It may be equipped with two DC motors for a total power output of and a maximum speed of, or with four AC motors for an output of and speed of. As the length of a tram or light-rail train running on shared track is restricted to a maximum of in Germany, up to four U2 cars may be used in a single consist on such track. Frankfurt U2 cars use Scheren or single-arm pantographs, while Calgary, Edmonton and San Diego vehicles use a single-arm pantograph. In order to operate safely, the cars require to accelerate from a station, and to maintain speed.
Variants
Siemens-Duewag Type U3 is an upgraded version of the U2 with a slightly longer length and cosmetic changes. Introduced in 1977, they entered service in 1980 and will be exported to Monterrey in Mexico, after being retired from service by Germany's Frankfurt U-Bahn. Three examples will be preserved for museum service Siemens-Duewag Type U2A on Sacramento Regional Transit's light rail system is an upgraded version of the U2 that shares similar characteristics of the newer SD-100s and SD-160s, yet it still uses the mechanical equipment of the U2. Siemens also developed a U2 running on alternating current motors using inverters. 2 units were purchased by the Government of Alberta in 1988 and operated as demo units for Edmonton and Calgary. Calgary ended up adding the two units to their main fleet until 2015, when both were retired due to part issues. One of the units is still active as a track inspection vehicle, while the other was scrapped for spare parts. Another variant, the U2h, was designed for lower boarding platforms in the Frankfurt system. A planned renovation project, codenamed U2e, was to take place in 2015, but after a few were completed, it was decided to retire their units in favour of the Flexity Swift.
U2 cars acquired, by city
Calgary — 85 cars
Edmonton — 37 cars, 2 U2-AC cars operated as demonstrators between 1988 and 1990, plus 3 parts cars acquired from Calgary.
*Retrofitted to have electronic LED destination signs on the exterior and interior among other changes, including introducing moving blockcommunications-based train control systems installed by Thales which allow the trains to run in a fully automated mode
Frankfurt — 104 cars; U2 cars completely retired from service as of 2016.
San Diego — 71 cars; U2 cars completely retired from service on the San Diego Trolley on January 26, 2015
San Diego MTS retired their last U2 vehicles in January 2015, coinciding with low floor S70 cars being deployed on its Blue Line, six examples are preserved by various museums and nonprofits.
MTS has retained Car 1001 as part of its heritage fleet of light rail vehicles. The car was unveiled as part of a celebration at 12th & Imperial on July 11th, 2019, and re-entered service two days later. The car operates on the Silver Line, alongside San Diego PCC cars 529 and 530. The City of Edmonton has stated that at least one U2 will be preserved and operational for their historical fleet. The City of Calgary is currently looking into putting one on static display. Cars 303-305 of the Frankfurt system have also been preserved following retirement in 2016.
