Rail traction: tramways - Rolling stock characteristics

The tramway has made a spectacular comeback through its eventful history, particularly in French cities. All the components of the tramway system involved in the design of a new line, the general principles for operating a tramway network within the framework of current regulations and safety imperatives, and the main criteria to be taken into account for the design of rolling stock are covered in the previous [D 5 550] dossier.

This dossier [D 5 551] reviews the full range of different types of equipment offered by the European rail industry. The most common types are described in greater detail. In addition to the diversity of technologies used, we note that, for various reasons, the low-floor vehicle solution is not necessarily adopted everywhere. While some manufacturers leave the choice of front-end design to their customers, others impose strict standardization, leaving only the colors to the buyer's choice.