ITALY: Bologna municipality has called tenders worth €246m for a framework contract covering the supply of up to 60 trams. They are intended for use on the Red Line, which is under construction, and the Green Line, for which civil works contracts are now in place.
The six-year tram contract would include four years of maintenance and require testing and commissioning of the vehicles. An initial firm order is expected, which would be for 33 trams for a total value of €135·3m.
The trams are expected to feature batteries which recharge when the vehicles run under catenary, and will be used for traction on parts of the network in the historic city centre, which will be catenary-free.
The 33 to 35 m long bidirectional fully accessible trams are to be 2 400 mm wide and have a capacity of 205 passengers of which at least 20% can be seated.
Responses are to be submitted by June 18, and the first tram is scheduled to be delivered in 20 months from the signing of the contract. The fleet is being partly funded from the European Union’s Recovery & Resilience Fund.
A two-line network takes shape
The 16·5 km Red Line has been under construction since May 2023. It will connect Emilio Lepido in the west with Bologna Centrale station and then turn north, forming two branches serving Parcheggio Michelino and Facoltà di Agraria/CAAB. Works are being undertaken by the consortium of CMB (lead contractor), Alstom Ferroviaria, Amplia and Alstom Transport.
The city council awarded a contract to the same consortium in December last year to build and commission the 6·9 km first section of the Green Line. Of the €272·2m contract value, €58·6m is allocated for investment in rolling stock. The first section will link Corticella in the north to Via dei Mille in the centre.
