The T-68 is a type of tram used only on the Manchester Metrolink system in Greater Manchester, England. The trams have unusually high floors, designed to be accessed from standard UK railway platforms: all tram stops on the city streets have been built to a height of 0.9 m, for compatibility with converted railway stations elsewhere on the network. The trams were built by the Italian company AnsaldoBreda[1].
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T68
The T68, the first variant of the T-68 design, was introduced to Manchester in 1991. 25 entered service altogether and were numbered from 1001 to 1025. Soon after, an additional vehicle, 1026, was introduced to simplify scheduling problems[citation needed]. Three of these trams have been modified for use on the Eccles branch by having retractable couplers fitted[2]. All of these vehicles have been refurbished and had their original white passenger doors repainted to make them more visible[2].
T68-A
The T68-A is the second variant on the T-68 design. Introduced in 1999, only six T68-As were built, all for use on the Eccles branch[2]. These have a dot-matrix destination display and have retractable couplers which make the trams more suited for street running.
The future
The original 26 T-68s are now over fifteen years old, and the recent refurbishment should keep them serviceable for another decade[citation needed]. The entire T-68 fleet is soon to be complemented by 12 brand new trams that includes 4 new trams for the Mediacity:UK extension and at least 28 more for the Phase 3a expansions. These will not be a variant of the T-68 design as GMPTE has opted to purchase Bombardier's Flexity Swift High Floor design[3].
Livery
Currently, the trams wear a livery of turquoise doors, white body and grey 'skirts'. This livery is also applied to the stations. This livery has been used since the Metrolink opened.
In October 2008, a new livery was created, for the arrival of the brand new trams that are coming to the network.[4] The new livery consists of a yellow front, with yellow and silver sides, with black doors. The livery was created by Hemisphere Design and Marketing Consultants of Manchester. The older trams are also going to be re-painted in the new livery, when they come in for re-refurbishment.[5] Piccadilly Metrolink Stop recently underwent refurbishment and now displays the new look.
References
- ^ "Metrolink Trams". TheTrams.co.uk. http://www.thetrams.co.uk/metrolink/trams/. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
- ^ a b c "Metrolink Trams". Light Rail Transit Association. http://www.lrta.org/Manchester/Vehicles.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
- ^ "New Vehicles for Metrolink". Light Rail Transit Association. http://www.lrta.org/Manchester/veh_new.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
- ^ RAIL Issue 603
- ^ RAIL Issue 603
External links
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