The public transport operator in the Basque Country, Euskotren, awarded CAF a contract for the supply of three extra-long trams for Vitoria-Gasteiz city. The new units will represent an investment of EUR 20 million and will be delivered in the second half of 2027, after which they will be put into operation.
The new vehicles will be added to the existing fleet and will have the same length, with 7 modules, and similar characteristics to the current extra-long vehicles. In terms of their length, the three new trams will be similar to the S600 extra-long trams that currently operate on the city’s tramway network. The seven-module trams will be 44 metre-long and have a capacity for 400 passengers.
Instead, they will incorporate new features in terms of accessibility such as no tip-up seats, adapted signage and chromatic differentiation in the areas reserved for groups with functional diversity. Innovations have been incorporated into the design and manufacture of the three new trams to ensure that all people have equal opportunities to enjoy adapted and inclusive public transport. “Euskotren is working hard to promote the participation of functionally diverse and active listening groups, in order to get to know the needs of these people firsthand. The approaches made by these people have been taken into account in the Euskotren 2024-2030 Strategic Plan for Improving Accessibility,” Susana García Chueca, the Basque Minister for Sustainable Mobility and President of Euskotren, said at signing ceremony.
Changes will be made compered to the currently fleet and will include changed signage to comply with universal accessibility parameters, folding seats that will be removed and priority seats that will be marked with a colour code to better identify them. The 8 priority seats for groups with reduced mobility – including the elderly, pregnant women, people with small children – will be orange. The new units, like the existing ones, will have two specific spaces so that people in wheelchairs can travel comfortably and safely.
The new trams will be equipped with the most advanced technological systems to facilitate accessibility for people with mobility, hearing and visual disabilities. The tram units have a special door for people with reduced mobility and strollers to enter and exit. Inside the unit, people using wheelchairs have access to a specific space, which includes a door unlocking device and a specific button to request stops, a door opening device and an alarm communicator with the driver’s cabin.
They will be equipped with modern passenger information system distributed throughout the vehicle to announce the destination of the line and the next stop, and others in an extended format above the doors, as a dynamic map of the line. The ticket vending machines also have a Braille keyboard.
The Vitoria-Gasteiz tram has an acoustic signaling system facing the doors, activated by remote control, to warn passengers that the doors are about to open and close.
In terms of security, each Euskotren unit has a video surveillance system, with several cameras inside and outside, and an image recorder. The tram also has an acoustic signalling system to notify passengers of the movement of the trams. It has two levels of intensity, one for normal situations, and the other, more intense, for emergencies that may occur in traffic.
Euskotren units have a speed control system to prevent exceeding the maximum speed limits established throughout the route, and a control system to stop the unit in the event of dizziness or discomfort of the person in charge of driving.
The new trams for Vitoria-Gasteiz were ordered to meet the increase in demand for tram services in the capital of Álava province. “We have brought forward the purchase of these three trams to provide a better service to citizens, as there is a massive commitment to the tram to join sustainable mobility, with an increasing demand,” Susana García Chueca said.
The consolidation of the tram as a backbone of the urban transport in Vitoria-Gasteiz and its increasing demand, particularly significant since the launch of the 2.6 km extension to Salburua and the application of 50% discounts on trips, made it necessary to purchase new vehicles to provide an adequate service, especially during peak hours and on designated days with high crowds, such as sports, cultural or celebratory events.
The acquisition of these new trams is part of Euskotren’s programme to expand its fleet and is expected to be completed in 2025. According to the plans of the operator, soon will launch a tender for the procurement of nine new trams with high-capacity to provide better services to city’s citizens and to meet demand on the future tram extension of the Vitoria-Gasteiz tram to Zabalgana neighborhood, situated 5 km west of city centre.
The current tram fleet in Vitoria-Gasteiz consists of 16 low-floor Urbos vehicles of which 7 with seven modules and 9 with five modules, manufactured by CAF.
Under the 2025 strategy, measures include a future unified fare system for public transport and free travel for children under 12s, the rehabilitation and modernisation of city’s tram infrastructure. This includes the construction of a 6-km tram extension to Zabalgana.
Share on:
