World Beat Train Bonn tram makes for an unusual party venue
Bonn · A Line 66 tram was transformed into a travelling disco on Saturday as the third “World Beat Train” took to the tracks.
Shortly before 8pm on Saturday night, a tram slipped into the underground station at Bonn main station. The train was greeted enthusiastically by around 130 people who were tightly packed onto the platform. And this was not just any train arriving; it was the “World Beat Train.” This was the third time organiser Darius Darek’s team has transformed an SWB train into a discotheque on rails.
The party train is a totally normal Line 66 tram, which transports thousands of people daily between Siegburg and Bad Honnef. But with a few adjustments, the public transport vehicle is transformed into a very special sort of party location. “We had a DJ stand built that we can put up between two rows of seats directly behind the driver’s cab,” explains Darek. “There is also a bar in the middle of the train.” Canned drinks such as beer, cola and water are sold.
Idea appeals to those on board and to people at the platforms
Then it’s off to Bad Honnef. The train attracts lots of attention at stops. The display at the front of the train showing “World Beat Train” bemuses people at the platforms. “What on earth is a World Beat Train?” asks one woman from Bad Honnef. As the train finally arrives, all questions are answered. “It’s a really good idea,” says the woman. The Bonn party organiser’s idea also appeals to those on board. “I think it’s fun to connect the everyday with a party,” says Lea Hempel from Bonn. “Also, you get talking to people really quickly in a small space.”
This is not the first time tram driver Werner Merz has driven the train through the city. “For me, the party is always a highlight,” says Merz. “The feeling of being part of it is simply unique. There are loads of nice people and the music is great.” He says he has never had any problems with his dance-mad travel guests. Quite the opposite: Merz is loved for his calm and open-minded manner. As the journey begins and the organiser welcomes the guests over the loud speaker, there is thunderous applause when Merz’s name is mentioned. The journey lasts four hours. After a short stop in Bad Honnef, it returns to Bonn and from there to Siegburg and back.
Original text: sdj. Translated by Kate Carey.
