Comment on the WAZ article "New start for the tram" from October 18.10.2016, XNUMX

The traffic network in Oberhausen is based, among other things, on non-changing, fast direct connections between the city districts. This traffic model has proven itself. Trams and express buses that run along the route play an important role here. Passengers prefer connection-free connections, so that continuous bus routes make sense from a traffic planning point of view. The discontinuation of the SB90 and 960 lines, as suggested in the article by WAZ reader Johannes Gith, would not only lead to passenger protests, but also to passenger losses as a consequence.

It does not make economic sense to buy new trams to replace the low-floor trams from 1996. Trams have a service life of up to 35 years if they are regularly repaired and refurbished after about half of the service life. STOAG is currently carrying out this renovation. Four out of six low-floor trams have already been refurbished in a special workshop near Berlin, and two vehicles are currently in the workshop. The aim is to have all trams refurbished by the end of the year so that they can be used safely for the next few years. Then there is no need to use older and non-barrier-free trams. New trams are not allowed to pass the Thyssenbrücke in Mülheim, so that for this reason a new acquisition is not an option.

In contrast to what is shown in the report, other transport companies that, like STOAG, also have DUEWAG low-floor vehicles in their fleet, are also renovating these vehicles (Stadtwerke Bonn, Kasseler Verkehrs-Gesellschaft, Rheinbahn) in order to keep them for the further term or until the end of the depreciation period to train. Only BOGESTRA will take these vehicles from 1992 out of service in the medium term.