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Bombardier M5000
The Bombardier M5000 is a model of high-floor passenger light rail vehicles. It is part of the Flexity Swift range of vehicles, built specifically as a high-floor, articulated bi-directional tram to operate solely on the Manchester Metrolink system in England. The Metrolink system is the only tram network in the United Kingdom capable of running services made up of numerous tram sets, and consequently, the M5000s can operate as either a single vehicle or coupled together to form a "double" unit.
A total of 147 trams were ordered between 2007 and 2018, with the first M5000 entering service on 16 December 2009. Following the withdrawal of the last T-68 and T-68A trams in May 2014, the M5000s have operated all Metrolink services.
In April 2007, eight Bombardier Flexity Swift trams were ordered by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) for Metrolink; these were intended to supplement the existing T-68/T-68A fleet and increase capacity on the Bury-Altrincham line, which was suffering from overcrowding. Based on the K5000 design used in the German cities of Cologne and Bonn, these were designated the M5000. On 13 July 2009, the first M5000 (numbered 3001) was delivered to Manchester.
The M5000s were built by Bombardier Transportation at the factories in Bautzen, Germany and Vienna, Austria with the first vehicle built tested on the Wiener Straßenbahn street network, Vienna. Electrical equipment was supplied by Vossloh Kiepe of Werdohl, Germany. Unlike the previous T-68/T-68A trams, the M5000s lacked retractable steps, as a result the low-height platforms on several of the stops in central Manchester were either raised or removed to create an entirely high-floor network.
A further four were ordered in November 2007 (Nos. 3009-3012) to allow for a 12-minute service between Cornbrook and the new MediaCityUK extension in Salford Quays. Another 28 were then ordered (Nos. 3013-3040) to complete the tram order for the Phase 3A expansion of the network. After funding had been secured for the Phase 3B expansion of the network, another 22 M5000s were ordered (Nos. 3041-3062).
Meanwhile, the M5000 trams were proving to be considerably more reliable than the older T-68/T-68A fleet, which were found to be in need of expensive overhauls to keep them in service. In 2011, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) decided it would be more cost effective to replace the entire 32 strong T-68/T-68A fleet with M5000s than to overhaul them, and so 32 more M5000s were ordered in two batches of 12 and then 20 (Nos. 3063-3094) in order to replace them.
In 2013, ten more trams were ordered in anticipation of the Trafford Park Line before the production line closed. In September 2014, TfGM ordered a further 16, bringing the total number of units ordered to 120. The last of this order was delivered in October 2016.
In July 2018, a further 27 trams were ordered to help relieve overcrowding at a cost of £72m. The first of these was delivered on 14 November 2020. Alstom purchased Bombardier Transportation in January 2021, taking over production of the M5000. The final tram (numbered 3147) was delivered on 24 September 2022, taking the fleet to a total of 147 trams.
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Bombardier M5000 AI simulator
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Bombardier M5000
The Bombardier M5000 is a model of high-floor passenger light rail vehicles. It is part of the Flexity Swift range of vehicles, built specifically as a high-floor, articulated bi-directional tram to operate solely on the Manchester Metrolink system in England. The Metrolink system is the only tram network in the United Kingdom capable of running services made up of numerous tram sets, and consequently, the M5000s can operate as either a single vehicle or coupled together to form a "double" unit.
A total of 147 trams were ordered between 2007 and 2018, with the first M5000 entering service on 16 December 2009. Following the withdrawal of the last T-68 and T-68A trams in May 2014, the M5000s have operated all Metrolink services.
In April 2007, eight Bombardier Flexity Swift trams were ordered by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) for Metrolink; these were intended to supplement the existing T-68/T-68A fleet and increase capacity on the Bury-Altrincham line, which was suffering from overcrowding. Based on the K5000 design used in the German cities of Cologne and Bonn, these were designated the M5000. On 13 July 2009, the first M5000 (numbered 3001) was delivered to Manchester.
The M5000s were built by Bombardier Transportation at the factories in Bautzen, Germany and Vienna, Austria with the first vehicle built tested on the Wiener Straßenbahn street network, Vienna. Electrical equipment was supplied by Vossloh Kiepe of Werdohl, Germany. Unlike the previous T-68/T-68A trams, the M5000s lacked retractable steps, as a result the low-height platforms on several of the stops in central Manchester were either raised or removed to create an entirely high-floor network.
A further four were ordered in November 2007 (Nos. 3009-3012) to allow for a 12-minute service between Cornbrook and the new MediaCityUK extension in Salford Quays. Another 28 were then ordered (Nos. 3013-3040) to complete the tram order for the Phase 3A expansion of the network. After funding had been secured for the Phase 3B expansion of the network, another 22 M5000s were ordered (Nos. 3041-3062).
Meanwhile, the M5000 trams were proving to be considerably more reliable than the older T-68/T-68A fleet, which were found to be in need of expensive overhauls to keep them in service. In 2011, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) decided it would be more cost effective to replace the entire 32 strong T-68/T-68A fleet with M5000s than to overhaul them, and so 32 more M5000s were ordered in two batches of 12 and then 20 (Nos. 3063-3094) in order to replace them.
In 2013, ten more trams were ordered in anticipation of the Trafford Park Line before the production line closed. In September 2014, TfGM ordered a further 16, bringing the total number of units ordered to 120. The last of this order was delivered in October 2016.
In July 2018, a further 27 trams were ordered to help relieve overcrowding at a cost of £72m. The first of these was delivered on 14 November 2020. Alstom purchased Bombardier Transportation in January 2021, taking over production of the M5000. The final tram (numbered 3147) was delivered on 24 September 2022, taking the fleet to a total of 147 trams.