BKV Zrt. intends to solve the air conditioning of used trams in Frankfurt during their naturalisation - MTI reports.

In a statement sent to MTI on Tuesday, the company wrote that in recent days "incorrect information based on partial knowledge and misinterpretation of the facts" has appeared about the procurement and air conditioning of used Frankfurt trams.

They added that despite the recent vehicle acquisitions (CAF) of the past period, BKV Zrt.'s tram fleet consists of about 80 per cent high-floor, outdated vehicles. The upgraded, almost 50-year-old Ganz articulated trams in 10-12 years will also reach the age after which they can no longer be operated.

Tram used by the German transport company VGF (Photo: vgf-ffm.de)

Therefore, the primary procurement goal is to replace the outdated Ganz articulated trams. Finally, in Frankfurt, they were able to find used vehicles that were technically reliable (they had a well-maintained, narrow car body, low floors). At the same time, the trams are not air-conditioned, as the Frankfurt operator had not been able to find an economical solution at the time of the renovations 10-15 years ago. Since then, the air conditioning technology has evolved significantly, and the equipment has become more compact - they said.

 “Recognising this, from the first moment we were counting on the fact that we want to solve the air conditioning during the naturalisation of the trams to be procured. We have started the preliminary assessment and planning of air conditioning, currently, we do not see any technical obstacles to its feasibility, which will be justified by the conversion of the prototype vehicle to be procured.” - the company highlighted, adding that the financial issues of the procurement and the technical adequacy of the vehicles are currently being investigated.

The company would like to solve the air conditioning during the naturalisation of the trams to be purchased (Photo: vgf-ffm.de)

They added that the constant change in the technical environment and possibilities is also well illustrated by the fact that the cabs of the R2 series have already been air-conditioned later by the German company.

Magyar Nemzet wrote on Monday: according to the owner German transport company, VGF, the used Frankfurt trams, which would be bought by the Budapest City Council led by Gergely Karácsony, cannot be air-conditioned later. According to the VGF, the reason for this was that the trams were not designed for this, and their roof would not be able to bear the weight of the retrofitted air conditioner, which would have required fundamental design changes that the Germans did not undertake. 

Source: MTI

Cover photo: According to the BKV, the air conditioning of used Frankfurt trams can be solved by structural modifications. (Photo: vgf-ffm.de)