Project Profile: Stadler TINA Tram-Train Platform

The Stadler TINA (Total Integrated Low-Floor Drive) platform is an advanced modular tram-train vehicle designed for high operational flexibility and passenger accessibility across diverse urban and regional networks. Its engineering focus addresses key industry challenges, including infrastructure interoperability, long-term asset durability, and sustainable operation through innovative HVAC and bogie technologies. This profile outlines the technical specifications and strategic adoption of the TINA platform across several key European transit authorities.

Technical Specifications

The core design of the TINA platform is its continuous low-floor configuration, eliminating interior steps and ramps to ensure unimpeded accessibility. A key innovation is the patent-pending bogie design, engineered to provide superior ride stability and significantly reduce wheel and rail wear, thereby lowering long-term maintenance costs for both rolling stock and infrastructure. The vehicle’s architecture supports multi-system operation, accommodating track gauges from narrow (1,000mm) to broad (1,524mm) and catenary voltages from 600V to 750V DC, ensuring seamless integration into varied existing networks.

Onboard systems are fully digitized, centered around an interactive screen-based vehicle control system for drivers and a telemetry system for remote diagnostics and predictive maintenance. Passenger safety is enhanced by an integrated collision warning system that fuses data from LiDAR, radar, and camera sensors. Environmentally, the TINA platform utilizes CO₂ as a natural refrigerant in its HVAC system, offering a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 1, a significant reduction compared to conventional refrigerants. Vehicle configurations are modular, available in 30-meter (three-part) and 43-meter (five-part) lengths, with the larger variant accommodating over 280 passengers.

Key Takeaways

• Maximum Operational Flexibility: The TINA platform’s ability to operate on multiple track gauges and voltages allows transport authorities to deploy a single, standardized fleet across diverse and historically separate networks, reducing procurement complexity and maintenance costs.
• Focus on Lifecycle Cost Reduction: Innovations such as the wear-reducing bogie design and predictive maintenance telemetry are engineered to minimize long-term operational expenditures and extend the asset’s service life.
• Advanced Sustainability and Safety: The use of CO₂ in the HVAC system and a multi-sensor collision warning system positions the TINA as a benchmark for environmental responsibility and passenger safety in modern tram design.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What makes the Stadler TINA tram unique?
The Stadler TINA tram is unique due to its combination of a fully continuous low-floor design for maximum accessibility, a patent-pending bogie that reduces wear on wheels and tracks, and its high degree of operational flexibility, allowing it to function on various track gauges and power systems. It also incorporates advanced sustainable technology, such as an HVAC system that uses CO₂ as a coolant.

Which cities are using the Stadler TINA tram?
Several European cities have ordered the Stadler TINA tram for their transit networks. These include Darmstadt, Rostock, and Halle in Germany; the Basel region in Switzerland; and The Hague in the Netherlands, with deliveries and operational deployment currently underway.