The Alstom Flexity (sold as the Bombardier Flexity before 2021, stylized in all caps) was a family of trams, streetcars, and light rail vehicles manufactured by Bombardier Transportation until 2021, when French company Alstom took over Bombardier. As of 2015, more than 3,500 Flexity vehicles are in operation around the world in Europe, Asia, Oceania, and North America in 100 cities among 20 countries internationally.[1] Production of the vehicles was done at Bombardier's global production plants,[2] and by local manufacturers worldwide through technology transfer agreements.[3]
Flexity trams and LRVs usually belonged to one of six standard models. Manufactured from corrosion-resistant carbon steel and featuring driver's cabs made with glass-reinforced plastic,[4] they have a modular design that is customizable to meet specific operators' demands, including a variety of track gauges and voltages. The modules can also be replaced easily in case of damage.[4]
Flexity trams could be built for both bi-directional and uni-directional systems. A low-floor design with multi-purpose areas was standard on most models, allowing easy access to the vehicles for wheelchair users. There were also high-floor configurations for Flexity LRVs, and they could be designed for tram-train operations.
As Bombardier's premium tram model,[5] the Flexity 2 tram was a 100% low-floor vehicle with improved corrosion resistance, impact protection, energy efficiency, and a more spacious interior resulting from the reduction of its sidewall widths.[6] It was also compatible with Bombardier's PRIMOVE conductive battery charging system. These vehicles are currently used in Blackpool, Gold Coast, Basel, and Antwerp, among others.
Being of a traditional appearance but with the same design features and technology as other vehicles,[1] the 70% low floor Flexity Classic requires comparatively less maintenance compared to other Flexity tram models.[7] They were primarily focused on providing high-capacity public transport in densely spaced urban areas. These vehicles are currently used in Adelaide, Dortmund, Dresden, Essen, Frankfurt and Kassel, among others.
With a 100% low floor,[1] the Flexity Outlook range encompassed two different designs: the Eurotram and Cityrunner. The Eurotram was originally conceived by Socimi of Italy as a distinctive, train-like tramcar with large windows and modules with both powered and unpowered bogies,[8] while the Cityrunner has a more conventional appearance, but is highly customizable and is future proof with its easily repairable modules. These vehicles are currently used in Strasbourg, Porto, Brussels, and Marseille, among others. Toronto operates a customized variant of the Flexity Outlook.
The Flexity Freedom is targeted at the North American market.[12] Like the rest of Bombardier's Flexity models, it is locally made out of 100% low-floor modules, and features the same multiple unit capability as the Flexity Swift, with air conditioning and an easily configurable interior layout. Designed for the Transit City network in Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo and other LRT projects in Ontario,[13] the model was also selected for Edmonton's Valley Line[14] and was being marketed by Bombardier for future orders within North America.
Customized solutions
Flexity Berlin in BerlinFlexity Wien in ViennaFlexity Outlook in Toronto
Variants of Bombardier's Flexity trams and streetcars have been specially designed for use in certain cities, such as Berlin, Vienna, and Toronto.[15]
The Flexity Berlin was developed for the Berlin tram network, and is based on the older Incentro model developed by Adtranz. With a full 100% low floor interior, both uni-directional and bi-directional versions are used with either five or seven sections.[16]
Vienna
The Flexity Wien[de] was developed for the Vienna tram network. Derived from the Flexity Berlin with elements of the Flexity 2 line, it is a five-section, 100% low-floor, uni-directional tram with a floor height of 215 millimeters, permitting sidewalk-level boarding in line with the Siemens ULF.[17]
A derivative of the Flexity Outlook was created for the Toronto streetcar system to replace the aging CLRVs and ALRVs built by UTDC.[18] It is five-section, air-conditioned, built to the TTC's unique track gauge of 4ft10+7⁄8in (1,495mm)TTC gauge, and fully compatible with the existing network. They are unique in that they are equipped with both a trolley pole and a pantograph, in order to facilitate the gradual adoption of the pantograph for the TTC's overhead wire system.
Other models
Bombardier has also manufactured other models of tram which they do not place in the Flexity family,[15] including the Cobra for Zürich and the Incentro for Nantes and Nottingham. These models are no longer in production and have been succeeded by Flexity vehicles.
Legacy models
Following Alstom's acquisition of Bombardier Transportation in 2021,[19] several versions of the Flexity range continued to be built and ordered as a legacy model for cities that had continuing orders from before the acquisition,[20] or for orders of trams based on former Bombardier designs.[21] This continued until 2024, when all Flexity vehicles built during this period were retroactively rebranded into Alstom's own Citadis Classic range, thus signalling the end of the Flexity brand.[22]
Flexity-branded vehicles built by/ordered from Alstom (2021-2024)
↑Bowen, Douglas John (12 July 2013). "Waterloo opts for Bombardier LRVs". International Railway Journal. Simmons-Boardman Publishing Inc. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
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