Stadler Variobahn| Company type | Tram and light rail vehicle |
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| Industry | Rail transport |
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| Predecessor | ABB Variotram, Adtranz Variotram, Bombardier Variotram |
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| Founded | 1993 |
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| Founder | ABB (original design) |
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| Headquarters | Pankow and Velten, near Berlin , Germany |
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Area served | Germany, Austria, Finland, Norway, United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark |
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| Products | Articulated low-floor trams and light rail vehicles |
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| Parent | Stadler Rail (since 2001) |
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The Stadler Variobahn—previously marketed under the names ABB Variotram, Adtranz Variotram, and Bombardier Variotram—is an articulated low-floor tram and light rail vehicle originally designed in Germany. First introduced in 1993, its production has been handled by several manufacturers: initially ABB, then Adtranz, followed by Bombardier Transportation, and since 2001 by Stadler Pankow. By 2009, orders had reached 254 units, with an additional 110 options, each priced at approximately €2.5 million.
This model is operated by various transit agencies, including Graz Holding, the Bergen Light Rail, the Chemnitz Tramway, Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr, the Rhine Neckar Area Tramway, and London Tramlink.
Prototypes and initial deliveries
The design originated with ABB at their Henschel facility, where the prototype was completed in 1993 for use on the Chemnitz tramway managed by Chemnitzer Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft (CVAG). Serial production ran from 1998 to 2001, yielding thirty units—24 for CVAG and six for City-Bahn Chemnitz. Following ABB’s train division merger into Adtranz in 1995, a 1996 prototype was supplied to the Duisburg Stadtbahn. However, this unit never entered mass production and is currently held in private storage in Norway.
In 1996, six trams were delivered to serve the light rail network connecting Mannheim, Heidelberg, and Weinheim, operated by the Oberrheinischen Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft. Between 2001 and 2007, twenty more units were acquired. The fleet further grew with eight trams added to the Heidelberg Tramway in 2002 and sixteen units introduced to the Mannheim Tramway between 2001 and 2007. Additionally, seven trams constructed at Adtranz’s Dandenong facility were supplied to Australia’s Sydney light rail system in 2001. These vehicles were withdrawn by mid-2015; five were scrapped early in 2018 while one was preserved at the Sydney Tramway Museum.
Helsinki
Between 1998 and 2003, forty Variotrams were delivered to Helsinki City Transport (HKL) for operation on the Helsinki tramway at a total cost of €76 million. These vehicles were manufactured by Transtech in Otanmäki under a technology transfer agreement with Adtranz. Following Bombardier’s acquisition of Adtranz in 2000, these Helsinki Variotrams became the sole units produced under Bombardier’s branding.
The fleet experienced considerable technical difficulties, such as fractures in bogies and vehicle structures, resulting in frequent service interruptions—with operational availability often falling below fifty percent prior to 2009. HKL initially contemplated returning the trams to Bombardier but ultimately arranged a maintenance contract in May 2007 that shifted upkeep responsibilities to Bombardier. Starting May 2008, Bombardier faced daily penalties if more than four trams were out of service and risked contract termination if over eight were non-operational, which would require reimbursing HKL the €76 million purchase price. To comply with these conditions, Bombardier established a dedicated maintenance facility in Helsinki during 2008.
After extended negotiations, HKL and Bombardier reached an agreement in August 2017 to annul the Variotram contract. Bombardier consented to compensate HKL with €33 million due to the trams’ shorter-than-anticipated lifespan of forty years, with tram returns commencing in 2018.
Stadler
To concentrate on its proprietary Flexity tram models, Bombardier reached an agreement with the European Commission to sell its Variotram division to the Swiss company Stadler Rail.
Upon acquisition, Stadler rebranded the tram as Variobahn and successfully obtained several contracts, delivering vehicles to multiple cities including:
By 2009, a total of 254 Variobahn units had been ordered, with an additional 110 units held as options. The approximate cost per tram was €2.5 million. Stadler produces these vehicles at its manufacturing facilities located in Pankow and Velten, near Berlin.
Issues Encountered in Munich
In December 2014, the MVG withdrew seven Variobahn trams from service due to detected cracks in their bodies. By January 2015, all affected vehicles were taken out of operation for repairs. Subsequently, MVG decided against placing further orders for Variobahns and instead chose Siemens as their supplier for upcoming tram models.
Variobahn Trams Supplied to Croydon Tramlink
In August 2011, Transport for London procured six Variobahn units for Tramlink at a cost of £16.3 million, with an option to acquire up to eight additional vehicles. Three of these trams were reallocated from an order originally placed for Bergen's Bybanen system in Norway. To optimize factory utilization, Stadler accelerated production schedules, manufacturing three extra units specifically for Croydon alongside three replacements intended for Bergen. Initial testing was conducted in Chemnitz, Saxony. The first tram arrived in Croydon on 24 January 2012 and commenced passenger operations on 30 March 2012.
Specifications
The Variotram is a low-floor light rail vehicle engineered primarily for urban transit applications, designed with adaptability to satisfy various client requirements. It offers configurations as either uni-directional or bi-directional units and features options for either 70% or fully (100%) low-floor designs. Supported track gauges include both standard gauge and metre gauge. Width dimensions vary between 2.3 m and 2.65 m, while lengths depend on the number of articulated sections, ranging from three up to seven modules. The floor height is set at 350 mm above rail level, complemented by door widths of approximately 1350 mm and customizable seating and standing layouts.
A notable technological advancement is the incorporation of hub motors on every wheel, which eliminates the need for traditional axles and bogies. This innovation allows a completely step-free interior accessible directly from platforms. The modular construction facilitates future modifications such as rebuilding or lengthening of the vehicles. Powertrain configurations include options with four or six powered wheels equipped with 95 kW motors or variants with eight to twelve powered wheels using 45 kW motors. Tram lengths range from as short as 24.4 m (as in Helsinki) up to 42.8 m (as found in Mannheim), with tare weights between 35 and 50 tonnes. Seating capacity spans from a minimum of 38 seats (Graz) to a maximum of 100 seats (Heidelberg), while standing capacity can reach up to 193 passengers (Duisburg).
Production
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