Dresden’s tram will modernise it’s tram fleet with 30 new Bombardier FLEXITY/ NGT DX DD – type low-floor trams in order to increase the fleet size for new light rail lines and to replace older vehicles. On 21 August 2019, the delivery contract has been signed between the director’s of DVB (Dresden’s tram operator) Andreas Hemmersbach and Lars Seiffert and with Bombardier Transportation Germany for the delivery of 30 Flexity trams. The official contract signature was accompanied by local politicians, Dresden’s mayor and the press.
Front design of Dresden’s new tram I Source: Bombardier Transportation GmbH
Production in Görlitz und Bautzen
The new trams will be manufactured at Bombardier’s Görlitz and Bautzen plants and delivery will always take place from Bautzen. The delivery of first vehicle is expected in the summer of 2021 in Dresden. By the autumn of 2023, all vehicles will be delivered. The delivery includes a maintenance contract, called FlexCare. The new tram will initially be operated on tram line 2, later also on lines 3 and 7.
The cost per vehicle amounts to about 4.2 million EUR. The total investment, including manufacturing, service and long-term maintenance, is around 197 million EUR. For the purchase of light rail vehicles, the Free State of Saxony is being granted a 102.8 million EUR funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which is given to DVB.
The 2.65 m wide interior allows for a wide aisle and 2 + 2 seating I Source: Bombardier Transportation GmbH 
Interior view of the NGT DX DD I Source:
Bombardier Transportation GmbH
The multi-purpose area allows for sufficient space for trolleys and wheel chairs I Source:
Bombardier Transportation GmbH
Panorama windows and 2.65 m width
The vehicles are fitted with large panoramic windows, dynamic and energy-saving LED lighting which adapts its color and intensity to the time of day. Furthermore there are additional passenger information displays, air conditioning, as well as WiFi and charging plugs for mobile devices.
The new trams will be designated NGT DX DD and are derived from Bombardier’s FLEXITY series. NGT stands for low-floor articulated tram, DX for bogies with ten axles and DD for Dresden. The vehicles will have a length of 45 meters which is about as long as the type NGT D12 DD trams already in service in Dresden. With a width of 2.65 m, it is 35 centimeters wider than the previous Dresdner vehicles. However only the portion of the carbody which is above platform level is wider so that no platform has to be rebuilt. The new trams have a capacity for up to 290 passengers.
Die Beschaffung von 30 neuen Niederflurfahrzeugen soll auch dazu dienen, einen Teil der bestehenden NGT 6DD und NGT 8DD Fahrzeuge einem Mid-Life Refurbishment zu unterziehen. Die Fahrzeuge der Baujahre 1995 – 1998 bzw. 2001 – 2002 wurden bei DWA Bautzen (heute Bombardier Transportation) gebaut. Im Bild einer der 23 NGT 8DD am Dresdner Altmarkt. Foto: Urban Transport International 
Der heutige Wagenpark der Dresdner Straßenbahn besteht bereits größtenteils aus Niederflurstraßenbahnen. Hier im Bild einer der 40 NGT D8DD auf der berühmten Augustusbrücke, Hersteller Bombardier Transportation mit 2,30 Metern Breite. Die nächste Fahrzeuggeneration wird 35 Zentimeter breiter sein und somit mehr Kapazität und Komfort für Fahrgäste bieten. Foto: Urban Transport International
The NGT DX DD is intended as a replacement for the 30-meter cars of the first NGT 6 DD generation from 1995 – 1998, with each NGT DX DD adding a capacity of 100 passengers in comparison to the NGT 6 DD’s.
2-year long tender process
The tender for the new vehicles started in March 2017 with the publication of the requirements in the European Official Journal. A total of nine tram manufacturers from Europe and Asia went through a multi-stage selection process. Criteria such as technology, price, service and design were assessed with an evaluation system. In the last round, Bombardier Transportation prevailed with the best overall evaluation in the competition.
Due to the limited bridge loads specified in Dresden, the ratio of vehicle length and weight turned out to be the most difficult task for DVB engineers and suppliers. 21 of the NGT DX DD tram will be unidirectional trams whereas 9 trams will be bidirectional. Before the first NGT DX DD comes to Dresden in June 2021, a full-size mock-up with the final exterior and interior design will be displayed from January 2020 onwards at the Transport Museum Dresden.
Historical connection to Bautzen
In the eastern Saxon city of Bautzen, 1 hour by train from Dresden, trams are being built for Dresden’s tram network since the beginning of the 20th century. At the beginning of the 1930s, the “Große Hecht”, which at that time was considered one of the world’s most modern trams because of its advanced technology, was developed and manufactured in Bautzen. At the time of the GDR, other manufacturers took over the construction of trams for Dresden. When the old Czech Tatra wagons were to be replaced in favor of modern low-floor wagons after the fall of the wall in the 1990’s, the so-called “Sachsentram Consortium” started to develop and produce trams in the factory of Bautzen again. The first NGT 6 DD trams were delivered in 1995/ 1996. Today, a total of 166 light rail Bautzen-built trams are running in the Saxon capital. Soon 30 FLEXITY/ NGT DX DD new ones will join their “sister vehicles”.
Urban Transport Magazine already reported on the vehicle procurement process and the extension of Dresden’s light rail network here:
https://hosting129892.a2e10.netcup.net/en/dresden-is-tendering-2-65-m-wide-trams/
