Barcelona Metropolitan Transport Authority (ATM – Autoritat del Transport Metroplità) awarded Alstom a contract for the electrification of the first phase of the Barcelona tram network connection, linking the two existing tramway lines, with APS power supply system.
The contract includes both work on the infrastructure and the retrofit of 18 trams from the current fleet.
This contract is part of the project to connect Barcelona’s two tram networks, Trambaix and Trambesos. This connection, 3.9 km long and with 6 new stops added to the tram network, will improve mobility in the city and will enhance intramodality by connecting the Tram with the suburban and metro networks. Furthermore, once the connection is completed, it will contribute to reducing the carbon footprint by transferring users from private vehicles to the tram. Barcelona’s tramway is in the backbone of Barcelona’s promotion of sustainable mobility, with a commitment to eco-friendly, accessible, equitable and healthy urban development.
The system consists of power supplied to the light rail vehicles through a segmented street-level power rail. The conductive segments are automatically switched on and off as the tram progresses, ensuring total safety for pedestrians and all road users.
The APS power supply system preserves the beauty of urban environments by removing wayside infrastructure and obtrusive catenary contact lines and masts.
The tram network is made up of two independent systems. Trambaix is a 15.1 km tram system that connects Diagonal with Baix Llobregat area and and Trambesos that connects Barcelona with Sant Adria de Besos and Badalona on a 14.1 km route. The network is operated by 41 Citadis trams, manufactured and maintained by Alstom in Spain.
Barcelona tramway, inaugurated in 2004, has a total of 6 lines and 56 stops in a 29.22 km long system that moves more than 26 million passengers annually.
In the first semester of 2022, ATM says that the public transport is recovering, and the tram and metro systems are the two modes with the largest increase since pandemic started. Compared to 2019, the metro and tram systems recorded a decrease of 15% and 14% respectively and are on the path to fully recover.
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