Avenio is the new line of low floor tram produced by Siemens Transportation Systems.[1] It is the successor of the Combino model and the first generation was sold as the Combino Supra ( /ˈsuːprə/), Combino MkII, or Combino Plus. With the introduction of the second generation in 2009 the Combino brand was dropped and Siemens have referred to their existing Combino Plus trams in Sul do Tejo (Portugal) and Budapest (Hungary) as being part of the Avenio range.[2]
The new series of Combino Plus / Avenio are made of stainless steel instead of light materials, and manufactured at a new assembly line in Vienna. Just like existing Combino models it utilizes modular design using standardised components, and the resulting reduced costs.
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Unlike the former Combino model, the Combino Supra is designed in nine meter fixed sections. Each section has a bogie, either powered or unpowered. The tram length can be anywhere from two sections (18 meters) to eight (72 meters). In the Budapest and Almada trams, modules are placed in two car blocks, each block joined by a double articulation join. This is in contrast to the original Combino, and other articulated low floor trams, where modules are suspended between others. Siemens claims the axle load of this design is 10 metric tonnes for a tram width of 2.65 meters, such as the Almada tram.[3]
For the Budapest order, the tram went from nine modules of the original Combino to six modules for the Combino Supra.[4]
The original Combino design featured a half-width door near the drivers cab. The Combino Supra has changed this to a full double-leaf door.
The city transport company of Budapest has ordered 40 Combino Supra Budapest NF 12B units. The six-module trams (three units of two carbody sections) are 53.99 meters long, a world record for passenger trams (only exceeded by the 59.4 m CarGoTram of Dresden). They have been nicknamed óriáshernyó (meaning 'giant caterpillar'). The first two units were delivered March 14, 2006 to Budapest, the rest was delivered by the summer of 2007.
In the summer of 2006 problems arose with the Budapest version of the Combino. On August 1, 2006 Budapest mayor Gábor Demszky ordered all six Combino trams to be withdrawn from service until technical problems that arose in the previous months were cleared up.[5] There were problems with the doors, caused by sensitive fail-safe systems which brought trams to a halt for reasons including luggage or the odd leg getting stuck in a door.[6] Siemens AG reportedly admitted the door problem to be a "design fault".[7]
Another problem was the overhead wire system of the track, which was rebuilt in April and June to accommodate the new trams. The rebuilding was done in a hurry and of poor quality, causing the old Ganz trams still running on the track to have problems with their pantographs. On July 15 one column of the overhead wire system fell to the road on the Margaret Bridge, causing tram services to be suspended between Jászai Mari tér and Moszkva tér till July 25.[8] In the last week of August the wire system was adjusted to prevent new problems from occurring.[9]
The teething problems were eventually sorted out, and all 40 trams were in regular service by the summer of 2007. But Siemens realises further improvements in the ventilation (the vehicles were ordered without air conditioning), and door closing signals will be changed, after inhabitants of the streets passed complained that they are too loud by night.
The transport company Metro Transportes Sul de Tejo (MST) ordered 24 four-module Combinos for the new tram network Metro sul do Tejo in Almada, South of Lisbon. Although the first unit was delivered by the end of May 2005, after the problems with the Combino surfaced, the order was converted to stainless steel-bodied Combinos, to be delivered by 2007.
Siemens sold Almada tram C008 to Melbourne, Australia to run in passenger service on Melbourne's tram network, for research and development purposes.[10] However, some commentators believed it was motivated by the potential for an upcoming tram order. C008 ran on Route 16, alongside the classic Combino, and other tram models. C008 first entered Melbourne service on Grand Prix shuttles on Route 96 in March, and ran on Route 16 thereafter until Saturday, 16 June.
The Avenio brand was introduced at the UITP 2009 trade fair in Vienna being marketed as the "longest tram in the world" of the 100% low floor type (referring to the 72 meter version with 8 modules).[11][12]
Upon the presentation of the new Avenio series in 2009 it was announced that the first production series would go to Tel Aviv.[12] However the Tel Aviv Light Rail project was delayed and the construction on the first Red Line started in September 2011. It will be in operational in 2016-2017 as the majority of the stations on that line will run underground.
HTM as the operator of the Den Haag tramways have announced in November 2011 to buy 40 trams of the new Avenio series. The trains will be 35 meter in length at a width of 2,55 meter offering a seating capactiy of 70 seats and a standing capacity of 168 passgeners.[13] The contract is worth 100 million euro including driver training and spare parts. The trains are built in Wien Simmering with the undercarriages being built in Graz.[14]