Modification of Entrances to Trams Operated by Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe
Project description
The Swiss Federal Act on the Equalization of Persons with Disabilities (BehiG) calls for flush access to public transport so that passengers with disabilities can enter without assistance. To comply with this requirement, Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB) raised the platform level of their stops and adjusted their vehicle entrances accordingly. As part of the project, Helbling designed a modification to the steel structure of the approximately 25-year-old Be 4/4 and Be 4/6s series trams.
The steel structure to be developed for the trams not only had to comply with the new geometric constraints to the entrance area and the underlying principles of valid regulations, but also needed to be economically feasible. As an internationally active development and innovation partner to the rail vehicle industry, Helbling had all of the qualifications it needed to solve this problem. Helbling has many years of experience and proven expertise when it comes to modernizing and retrofitting rail vehicles.
Key data and technical details
- Retrofitting the trams will ensure that disabled individuals can enter and use the vehicles unaided
- Renewal: On older trams, the underbody is the load-bearing element. The superstructures themselves are not load-bearing. Now, however, the steel structure is to become load-bearing. That called for complicated structural integrity assessments.
