The Stadtbahnwagen Typ B (translation ''Type "B" Light Rail Vehicle'', short form B-Wagen) is a

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

vehicle used by several

Stadtbahn (; German for 'city railway'; plural ) is a German word referring to various types of urban rail transport. One type of transport originated in the 19th century, firstly in Berlin and followed by Vienna, where rail routes were created that co ...

networks in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

state of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

as well as by the

Bursaray Bursaray (sometimes stylized as ''BursaRay'') is a rapid transit system in the city of Bursa, Marmara Region, Turkey, built in 2000 by TÜVASAŞ, and operated by Burulaş. The name ''Bursaray'' is a portmanteau of ''Bursa'', and ''Ray'', the Tu ...

network in

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. It was mainly developed by

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

-based

Duewag Düwag or Duewag (stylised in all caps), formerly Waggonfabrik Uerdingen, was a German manufacturer of rail vehicles. It was sold in 1999 to Siemens with the brand later retired. History Duewag was founded in March 1898 as Waggonfabrik U ...

, who also built the majority of vehicles in a consortium with

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...

and Kiepe. A small series of ten units was built by

Waggon Union BVG-SD82-1934

''Waggon Union'' was a German manufacturer of rail vehicl ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. As the type evolved over two decades of production, some vehicles have little more in common than their outer dimensions and the basic configuration of a two-part multiple unit on three bogies with both outer ones powered. For the

Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...

Stadtbahn, some cars were modified with a central section and a fourth bogie. These vehicles are referred to as ''B8'' or '' B80C/8'' (eight axles). These vehicles have a length of and a weight of .

History

When the

Rhine-Ruhr The Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region () is the Metropolitan regions in Germany, largest metropolitan region in Germany, with over ten million inhabitants. A wikt:polycentric, polycentric conurbation with several major urban concentrations, the reg ...

Stadtbahn network was planned in the early 1970s, standardised rolling stock was planned as well. At the same time, a second Stadtbahn network was planned for Cologne and Bonn. Because the future Cologne Stadtbahn already had one finished tunnel, that was built with the city's own money with streetcars in mind, the ''Stadtbahnwagen'' designed for the Rhine-Ruhr network was not suitable. So, another vehicle was designed for the Cologne/Bonn network, that was capable of driving though tighter curves. This vehicle, now referred to as ''Stadtbahnwagen Typ B'' was immediately ordered by transport authorities in Cologne and Bonn, while Rhine-Ruhr authorities remained hesitant about "their" vehicle, now renamed ''Stadtbahnwagen Typ A''. Eventually it was decided that the type "A" LRV was too unwieldy and type "B" LRVs were ordered by

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

Mülheim Mülheim, officially Mülheim an der Ruhr (, ; ; ) and also described as ''"City on the River"'', is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen. It is ho ...

Duisburg Duisburg (; , ) is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine (Lower Rhine) and the Ruhr (river), Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruh ...

and

Bochum Bochum (, ; ; ; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 372,348 (April 2023), it is the sixth-largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) in North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous German federa ...

. The type "A" concept, which consists of close coupled two-car sets, was shelved and later revived for the

Stuttgart Stadtbahn The Stuttgart Stadtbahn is a semi-metro system in Stuttgart, Germany. The Stadtbahn began service on 28 September 1985. It is operated by the Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG (SSB), which also operates the Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG#Bus system ...

. The ''Typ B'' formed the basis for the British-built Metrocars on the

Tyne and Wear Metro The Tyne and Wear Metro is an overground and underground light rail rapid transit system serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, and the City of Sunderland (together forming Tyne and Wear). The owners Nexus have ...

, which opened in 1980. It was adapted for the Americas and sold under de Siemens brand as the SD SD-400/460 from 1985 onwards. The ''Typ B'' also formed the basis for the vehicles used on the

Docklands Light Railway The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated medium-capacity rail system, light metro system primarily serving the redeveloped London Docklands, Docklands area of London and providing a direct connection between London's two major financi ...

(DLR), which opened in 1987.

Subtypes

Different variants are usually referred to by a combination of their top speed and a letter denoting the engine type. I12 356 Bf Olof-Palme-Allee, ET 7756.jpg, First-generation body S01 274 Bf Düsseldorf-Benrath, ET 4206.jpg, Second-generation body U35 Hustadt3.jpg, Third-generation body StLouisNew.jpg, SD-400 body DLR-WestIndiaDocks-2 (cropped).jpg, DLR P-86 body

References

{{Reflist Light rail vehicles Duewag tram vehicles Tram vehicles of Germany Electric multiple units of Germany 750 V DC multiple units