A Combino tram is largely made out of aluminium, with a welded underframe to which the body framework is bolted in sections, which means that the Combino can easily be adopted to different lengths, widths and gauges. They usually take 600V DC overhead power and convert this to 400V 3-phase AC power for the regenerative low wear motors via 3 IGBT PWM inverters. On board controls, lighting and air-conditioning run at 24V DC with an expected 30-years life.

In this picture a GVB Siemens Combino tram (type - 13G/C1) numbered 2088 was spotted in busy streets of Amsterdam by Bani Das & Asit Baran Das on 10th May 2015. Four Combino trams 2085-88 are equipped with this orange advertisement for Ziggo, the largest cable operator in the Netherlands. More than 10 years GVB has banned total advertising on its trams and buses but this phenomenon is seems very profitable - enough to change the principles. This particular tram (2088) was delivered to the GVB in July 2003 and first hit the roads in August same year.