The Mayor of Bucharest, Nicușor Dan, and the representatives of the Romanian rolling stock manufacturer Astra Vagoane Călători Arad, signed the contract for the supply of 100 trams which will be operated by Bucharest Transport Company STB. EUR 200 million is the value of the contract which is co-financed by European funds.
In September 2020, the consortium comprising Astra Vagoane Călători Arad and CRRC Qingdao Sifang was announced as the winner of the tram tender, submitting an offer of RON 840.9 million (EUR 170.24 million).
“This is a step forward for the modernisation of city’s public transport system. By acquiring these trams, the passengers will benefit increased comfort,” the mayor said.
Under the contract, Astra Vagoane Călători Arad will deliver the first tram protoype within 15 months and from August 2022, the manufacturer will deliver four trams in each month. The contract also includes the delivery of spare parts and maintenance services under a 7-year guarantee agreement. The manufacturer will be responsible for training.
The fully low-floor trams will have a length of 36 metres with at least five doors. According to the Bucharest Municipality, the new trams will have a capacity for more than 220 passengers, of which 56 seats. They will be adapted for passengers with reduced mobility providing two special places for wheelchairs. The new trams will also provide passengers the possibility to transport their bicycles through a fastening and fixing system, which does not occupy the space intended for passengers when it is not used.
They will be equipped with air conditioning system, ticketing system, CCTV, video surveillance system and Wi-Fi.
“Together with the Bucharest Mayor, we have signed the contract for the procurement of these 100 trams an important project to modernise our tram fleet. By this project, we provide our citizens increased quality services as my priority is to deliver our passengers increased comfort and safety,” Adrian Criț, the Director General of STB said.
The new vehicles will enter operation on eight lines (lines 1, 10, 21, 25, 32, 40, 41 and 55) on Bucharest tram network. The Romanian capital modernised 100 km of the 150 km-long tram system and under the European financing agreement, the authorities should modernise the lines 40 and 55.
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