: Delivered as Hannover articulated tram 6246, manufacturer Düwag/Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB)/Siemens, type TW 6000, series 6001–6260, width 2.40 m, length 28.28 m, weight 38.8 t, manufactured 1974-1993, with 46 seats and 104 standing places, power output 434 kW, max speed 80 km/h.
ÜSTRA Line 1 - Couplings in Rethen/Nord (2018)At the "Rethen/Nord" stop, trailers are coupled and uncoupled throughout the week.
At the "Rethen/Nord" stop, the third car of Line 1 is uncoupled during the day, and an announcement is made to inform passengers. A shunter is already waiting for Line 1 and will uncouple the trailer. The trailers are uncoupled here because the platforms leading out to Sarstedt are not long enough for three-car trains, and the necessary passenger demand is lacking. Therefore, Line 1 only runs here every 20 minutes. The shunter signals with a bell that the trailer has been uncoupled. This allows the two-car train to continue its journey. Shortly afterward, the trailer also departs toward the turning loop, where it is parked before being recoupled to the next train heading toward the city center. But first, the single car stops again to wait for the second shunter, who couples a car almost simultaneously. After the second shunter has boarded, the single vehicle can depart toward the loop. To the right is a small, heated rest area for the shunting crew. The trailers are temporarily parked in the "Rethen" turnaround loop, which is the endpoint of Line 2. A trolleybus, capable of operating as a two-way vehicle on both road and rail, is parked next to the track. The "Rethen" turnaround loop is located east of the B443 federal highway and is approximately 150 meters from the "Rethen/Nord" stop. Line 2 serves it every 20 minutes. The tracks in the foreground lead via Gleidingen and Heisede to Sarstedt and are served by Line 1. "Rethen" also functions as a bus turnaround facility. Sometimes, several buses wait for the arrival of Line 2, allowing passengers to transfer directly from the train to the bus. Bus lines 340 and 341, which operate on various routes between Pattensen and Messe/Ost, stop here. Line 346, serving Rethen and Laatzen, also stops here. Plans include closing the "Rethen" turnaround loop and the "Rethen/Nord" stop, as well as constructing an elevated platform on the main road. A park-and-ride lot is to be built where the loop currently is. Line 2 will be extended via "Rethen/Bahnhof" to the "Rethen/Galgenbergweg" stop, improving the connection of the new development to the light rail system. Shortly after the light rail arrives, the buses will depart again toward Messe/Ost and Pattensen.
The trailers of Line 1 will be parked on the passing track of the loop. Meanwhile, Line 2 will return to Alte Heide. Line 2 will mainly use green TW 6000 buses, in the evenings and on Sundays, even as single vehicles. From Sarstedt, Line 1 passes the loop to Langenhagen. Immediately after, the trailer leaves the loop and follows the two-car train to the "Rethen/Nord" stop. On the way, the opposite track passes where the trailer was just uncoupled from the train. Then, the junction of lines 1 and 2 occurs: on the left, line 2 heads via Grasdorf, and on the right, line 1 via Laatzen to Hanover. On the left, the single uncoupled car waits for the second shunter, who carefully couples the trailer to the two-car train of line 1. Now, line 1, as a three-car train, travels via Laatzen and Hanover to Langenhagen. Immediately after, the road-rail truck, which was previously working on the overhead line in the loop, proceeds. On the opposite track, a three-car train is separated again, and the uncoupling and coupling cycle restarts. With the opening of the rebuilt "Laatzen" loop, coupling at Rethen/Nord will be discontinued and will now take place two stops earlier, in Laatzen.By IC-lokomotivfører - .
