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Description
A Duwag GT8 Type O tram on Fredry stop, 4 March 2020.

In 1995, MPK Poznań - the municipal public transport company - was forced to look for inexpensive and readily available alternatives for the soon to be retired Konstal 102Na type trams. Its attention was caught by Dusseldorf's offer of several Duwag GT8 trams which were to be retired and replaced with low-floor units. Between 1996 and 1999, 22 such trams were acquired and brought to Poznań. Because more trams were needed, and Dusseldorf had no more to spare, 11 more were brought from Frankfurt-am-Main, which had several differences between the Dusseldorf units: two frontal lights instead of one, no separate doors for the tram driver, and no automatic door closing mechanism. These Frankfurt units (of two types - O and N)were delivered between 2000 and 2002; then, in 2003, Dusseldorf sold 10 more GT8s to Poznań. Further 21 trams were acquired in 2010, to replace ones damaged or destroyed in road accidents or operational failures.

Despite their old age, the trams became very popular in Poznań. They were spacious, with comfortable leather seats (although some were replaced with "vandal-proof" plastic ones), cozy "vintage" feeling (thanks to plywood clading and ordinary light bulbs, which gave warmer light than fluorescent or LED lamps), richly glazed passenger cabin (especially at the back, which made this place popular among younger people), and general reliability. On the other hand, they were not easily accessible to people with baby strollers and wheelchairs, but with the relatively wide doors you could always rely on other passengers to help you. Because of their country of origins, the trams were affectionately nicknamed "Helmuts".

In 2019, MPK Poznań officially announced that the Duwag GT8s will be retired by the end of that year. Indeed, on 10 November, the "Farewell to Helmuts" event was held, during which the last seven units still used by MPK were paraded through the Poznań streets in a retirement ceremony; however, some of them could still occasionaly be seen hard at work in 2020, perhaps another testimony to their reliability - they were used whenever newer trams broke down.

Most of the units delivered to Poznań were repainted in the iconic green and yellow MPK livery, however there were exceptions: some units retained their original Dusseldorf creame and red paintjob, at least three trams (#901, #903 and #907) were painted in teal, and then the latter - #907 - was repainted with an orange and creame livery, earning itself a nickname "Budyń" (Pudding, think of a caramel custard one).

Description
A Duwag GT8 Type O tram on Fredry stop, 4 March 2020.

In 1995, MPK Poznań - the municipal public transport company - was forced to look for inexpensive and readily available alternatives for the soon to be retired Konstal 102Na type trams. Its attention was caught by Dusseldorf's offer of several Duwag GT8 trams which were to be retired and replaced with low-floor units. Between 1996 and 1999, 22 such trams were acquired and brought to Poznań. Because more trams were needed, and Dusseldorf had no more to spare, 11 more were brought from Frankfurt-am-Main, which had several differences between the Dusseldorf units: two frontal lights instead of one, no separate doors for the tram driver, and no automatic door closing mechanism. These Frankfurt units (of two types - O and N)were delivered between 2000 and 2002; then, in 2003, Dusseldorf sold 10 more GT8s to Poznań. Further 21 trams were acquired in 2010, to replace ones damaged or destroyed in road accidents or operational failures.

Despite their old age, the trams became very popular in Poznań. They were spacious, with comfortable leather seats (although some were replaced with "vandal-proof" plastic ones), cozy "vintage" feeling (thanks to plywood clading and ordinary light bulbs, which gave warmer light than fluorescent or LED lamps), richly glazed passenger cabin (especially at the back, which made this place popular among younger people), and general reliability. On the other hand, they were not easily accessible to people with baby strollers and wheelchairs, but with the relatively wide doors you could always rely on other passengers to help you. Because of their country of origins, the trams were affectionately nicknamed "Helmuts".

In 2019, MPK Poznań officially announced that the Duwag GT8s will be retired by the end of that year. Indeed, on 10 November, the "Farewell to Helmuts" event was held, during which the last seven units still used by MPK were paraded through the Poznań streets in a retirement ceremony; however, some of them could still occasionaly be seen hard at work in 2020, perhaps another testimony to their reliability - they were used whenever newer trams broke down.

Most of the units delivered to Poznań were repainted in the iconic green and yellow MPK livery, however there were exceptions: some units retained their original Dusseldorf creame and red paintjob, at least three trams (#901, #903 and #907) were painted in teal, and then the latter - #907 - was repainted with an orange and creame livery, earning itself a nickname "Budyń" (Pudding, think of a caramel custard one).