| Bombardier CR4000 | |
|---|---|
-_geograph.org.uk_-_1624272.jpg) CR4000 2544 in current livery in December 2009 | |
 The interior of a refurbished CR4000 | |
| In service | 10 May 2000 – present |
| Manufacturer | Bombardier Transportation |
| Built at | Vienna, Austria |
| Family name | Flexity Swift |
| Constructed | 1998–2000 |
| Refurbished | 2008–2009, 2015 |
| Number built | 24 |
| Number in service | 23 |
| Fleet numbers | 2530–2553 |
| Capacity | 70 seated, 138 standing per tram |
| Operators | Tramlink |
| Depots | Therapia Lane |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Aluminium |
| Train length | 30.1 m (98 ft 9 in) |
| Width | 2.65 m (8 ft 8 in) |
| Height | 3.67 m (12 ft 0 in) |
| Floor height | 350–400 mm (13.8–15.7 in) |
| Platform height | 350 mm (13.8 in) |
| Entry | 350 mm (13.8 in) |
| Doors | 8plug doors per set |
| Articulated sections | 1 |
| Wheel diameter | 630–550 mm (25–22 in) (new–worn) |
| Wheelbase |
|
| Maximum speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
| Weight | 36.3 tonnes (35.7 long tons; 40.0 short tons) per tram |
| Traction system | Kiepe Electric DPU 251[1]GTO–VVVF |
| Traction motors | 4 ×Alstom 4 LXA 1442 120 kW (161 hp)asynchronous 3-phase AC |
| Power output | 480 kW (644 hp) |
| Transmission | 7.225 : 1 gear ratio |
| Acceleration | 1.2 m/s2 (2.7 mph/s) |
| Deceleration |
|
| Electric system(s) | 750 V DCoverhead catenary |
| Current collection | Pantograph |
| UIC classification | Bo′+2′+Bo′ |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge |
TheBombardier CR4000 is a 76%low floor model of theBombardier Flexity Swifttrams operated byTramlink inLondon. They are based on and very similar in appearance to theK4000 used on the low-platform routes of theCologne Stadtbahn network. Built between 1998 and 2000, the trams entered service in the spring of 2000.[2]
24 trams were ordered fromBombardier Transportation and built at its factory inVienna, Austria between 1998 and 2000. The first tram, 2530, was delivered toTherapia Lane depot on 13 September 1998, with testing beginning soon afterwards. Although service was due to begin in November 1999, delays in the construction of the line meant that the first tram entered passenger service on 10 May 2000.[3][4]
The trams are numbered 2530 through to 2553, following on from the highest numbered tram in the originalLondon Transport numbering system, 2529, which was scrapped in 1952. All entered service in a red and white livery except for 2550, which was painted inFirstGroup livery.[5]
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(February 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The trams are six-axle single-articulated double-ended cars, with four doors on each side. The low floor section stretches between both the outer doors through the articulation (which rests on an unpoweredbogie). Between the outer door and each car end is a higher-floor section, accessed up a step and situated over the car's two power bogies. The low-floor section is 40 cm (16 in) above rail-level, sloping down to 35 cm (14 in) in the doorways, a height that matches the platforms at tram stops, and each car has twowheelchair positions.[citation needed]
The trams are 30.1 m (98 ft 9 in) long and 2.65 m (8 ft 8 in) wide, with 70 seats and a total capacity of just over 200 passengers. They operate from an overhead power supply at750 V DC, and have a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph).
Each tram has an integral traction braking controller withdeadman's handle. While stationary, the tram is immobilized until the driver's hand is on the controller: if the driver's hand is removed from the controller while moving, an alarm sounds immediately and the driver's hand must return to the controller to disarm it. If a three-second countdown passes and it is not disarmed, thetrack brakes are applied.[citation needed]
The trams have undergone a series of upgrades since their introduction. In 2006, the bus-like destination blinds were replaced withLED destination blinds, and the on-board announcements were also updated, featuring the voice ofBBC News presenter and tram-enthusiastNicholas Owen.[6][7]
All 24 trams were refurbished between 2008 and 2009, which involved a deep clean of the interior, installation of new seatmoquette and a new lime green, blue and white external livery.[8]
The trams underwent a second refurbishment from 2015–2016. This included a full interior repaint, including the repainting of all handrails, new flooring, new seat moquette, new safety signage and the removal of the stop request buttons. Externally, new LED headlights were fitted. 2553 was the first unit to be completed, having been out of service since 2014 following a serious road traffic accident. Following repairs and refurbishment, it re-entered service in May 2015.[9][10]
2535 was officially namedStephen Parascandolo 1980 - 2007 in a special ceremony atBeckenham Junction on 20 October 2007, in honour of Stephen Parascandolo, a well known local tram enthusiast and webmaster of the "Unofficial Croydon Tramlink website" who died at the age of 26 in a car accident inHitchin. The ceremony was attended by his parents, fellow enthusiasts and officials from Tramlink.[11]
On 9 November 2016, unit 2551derailed and overturned on a sharp curve approaching Sandilands Junction, just east ofSandilands tram stop. There were seven fatalities, with 58 other people injured, sixteen of them sustaining serious injuries. Although the speed limit approaching the junction was 20 kilometres per hour (12 mph), the tram had been travelling at an estimated speed of 73 kilometres per hour (45 mph).[12]
TheRail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is investigating the type of glass windows installed in the CR4000 vehicles. During the derailment, the right hand side of the tram was substantially damaged, breaking or dislodging several bodyside and door windows, and causing multiple people to be ejected or partially ejected from the tram.[12] Of the seven fatalities, six were ejected through the windows. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) refused to comment on whether the derailed tram was fitted with laminated safety glass, claiming that it was unable to do so because of the RAIB's investigation.[13] Bombardier did not respond to requests for information on the type of glass that could have been the cause of fatalities in this derailment.[13]
Following the accident, vehicle 2551 was significantly damaged and has since been permanently withdrawn.[14] In March 2022, the vehicle was returned to TfL from the RAIB. As of June 2025, the vehicle remains in TfL's possession but remains out of service.[15] The vehicle's future remains unknown as of then.
| Tram stops |
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposed developments |
| ||||||||
| Rolling stock | |||||||||
| Related topics | |||||||||
| Tram |
|  | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metro |
| |||||||||
| Tram-train |
| |||||||||
