ITALY: CAF is the sole bidder for the tram tender in Bologna, the city council announced on June 25. The municipality is currently evaluating the offer and it still hopes to sign a contract by the end of the summer.
Bologna municipality has called tenders worth €260m for a framework contract covering the supply of up to 60 trams. They are intended for use on the 16·5 km Red Line, which is under construction from Emilio Lepido in the west to Parcheggio Michelino and Facoltà di Agraria/CAAB in the northeast, as well as on the 6·9 km Green Line, for which civil works contracts are now in place. This will link Corticella in the north to Via dei Mille in the city centre.
The six-year contract for the trams would include four years of maintenance and require testing and commissioning of the vehicles. An initial firm order is expected at a total value of €135·3m.
The trams are to feature batteries which recharge when they run under catenary, and they will be used for traction on parts of the network in the historic city centre where overhead wires will not be installed for aesthetic reasons.
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.
The procurement is being partly funded from the European Union’s Recovery & Resilience Fund.
