Similos
July 6th, 2006, 05:41 AM
Unique new mode of transport just opened up between the Europe's two closest capitals - Vienna and Bratislava. Thought it deserved a thread;)
A quick hop from Vienna to Bratislava.
Driving to Bratislava would be fine if it weren't for the difficult parking situation, unsafe parking spots and, of course, the long walk to the center of town. The train or bus is also a fast way to get there, but those options are neither particularly comfortable nor flexible.
The officials of these two cities on the Danube were looking for a comfortable
and fast means of passenger transport linking the centers of Vienna and
Bratislava on a regular schedule.
With the TWIN CITY LINER, we have met all of these requirements:
3 trips daily from Vienna to Bratislava,
3 trips daily from Bratislava to Vienna,
with departures from Vienna or Bratislava almost every two hours.
City to City:
From Schwedenplatz in Vienna to the Propeller dock in Bratislava in just 75 minutes.
THE SHIP
Conventional ships can not always navigate the Danube Canal due to its low water level, especially in the summer months. For this reason, Central Danube chose an innovative shipbuilding technology: a high-speed catamaran developed specifically for scheduled operation between Vienna and Bratislava and constructed in Norway between the fall of 2005 and early 2006.
The TWIN CITY LINER is a light aluminum high-speed catamaran with jet propulsion.
It was built in Norway, where other ships of this type are used in the fjords. Due to its low draft*
and small wake, the high-speed catamaran is the perfect solution for the Danube and especially for
the Danube Canal, which is often very shallow in the summer.
*The difficult issues of draft and wake were tested in an extensive model-based experiment by Vienna Model Basin Ltd. With its tested and contractually guaranteed draft of 0.8 meters, the TWIN CITY LINER is fully capable of navigating the Danube and the Canal, and the wake of the ship at maximum capacity will not exceed 45 cm in height (at a distance of 25 meters from the ship) under any circumstances. This means that the ship's wake is lower than that of the tour ships currently operating on the Danube Canal.
http://www.twincityliner.com/grafik_tcl_neu_seite.gif
Owner: Central Danube Marketing & Development GmbH
Operated by: DDSG Blue Danube Schiffahrt GmbH
Built by: Båtservice Mandal, Norway
Hull material: Aluminium
Length: 33.7 m
Beam: 8.5 m
Draft: max. 85 cm
Height: 5.90 m
Maximum weight: 54 t
Capacity: 102 passengers
Flat screens, music system: Yes
Mains power: 380V/240V
Crew: 2 captains, 1 deck hand, 1-2 attendants
Propulsion: 2 MTU diesel motors + 2 Hamilton water jets
Speed: 30 knots (55.56 km/h)
Power: 1960 HP (1440kw)
A quick hop from Vienna to Bratislava.
Driving to Bratislava would be fine if it weren't for the difficult parking situation, unsafe parking spots and, of course, the long walk to the center of town. The train or bus is also a fast way to get there, but those options are neither particularly comfortable nor flexible.
The officials of these two cities on the Danube were looking for a comfortable
and fast means of passenger transport linking the centers of Vienna and
Bratislava on a regular schedule.
With the TWIN CITY LINER, we have met all of these requirements:
3 trips daily from Vienna to Bratislava,
3 trips daily from Bratislava to Vienna,
with departures from Vienna or Bratislava almost every two hours.
City to City:
From Schwedenplatz in Vienna to the Propeller dock in Bratislava in just 75 minutes.
THE SHIP
Conventional ships can not always navigate the Danube Canal due to its low water level, especially in the summer months. For this reason, Central Danube chose an innovative shipbuilding technology: a high-speed catamaran developed specifically for scheduled operation between Vienna and Bratislava and constructed in Norway between the fall of 2005 and early 2006.
The TWIN CITY LINER is a light aluminum high-speed catamaran with jet propulsion.
It was built in Norway, where other ships of this type are used in the fjords. Due to its low draft*
and small wake, the high-speed catamaran is the perfect solution for the Danube and especially for
the Danube Canal, which is often very shallow in the summer.
*The difficult issues of draft and wake were tested in an extensive model-based experiment by Vienna Model Basin Ltd. With its tested and contractually guaranteed draft of 0.8 meters, the TWIN CITY LINER is fully capable of navigating the Danube and the Canal, and the wake of the ship at maximum capacity will not exceed 45 cm in height (at a distance of 25 meters from the ship) under any circumstances. This means that the ship's wake is lower than that of the tour ships currently operating on the Danube Canal.
http://www.twincityliner.com/grafik_tcl_neu_seite.gif
Owner: Central Danube Marketing & Development GmbH
Operated by: DDSG Blue Danube Schiffahrt GmbH
Built by: Båtservice Mandal, Norway
Hull material: Aluminium
Length: 33.7 m
Beam: 8.5 m
Draft: max. 85 cm
Height: 5.90 m
Maximum weight: 54 t
Capacity: 102 passengers
Flat screens, music system: Yes
Mains power: 380V/240V
Crew: 2 captains, 1 deck hand, 1-2 attendants
Propulsion: 2 MTU diesel motors + 2 Hamilton water jets
Speed: 30 knots (55.56 km/h)
Power: 1960 HP (1440kw)