HUNGARY: Budapest Municipality announced on November 20 that it was exercising options to purchase a further 26 CAF trams and 60 Solaris-Škoda trolleybuses.
CAF is to supply a further 21 five-section and five nine-section trams for HF17·6bn. The order has been placed under framework contract signed in March 2014 with CAF. Worth up to HF111bn, this covering a firm order of 37 trams with options for 87 more. The following month an option for 10 more trams was exercised.
Of the 47 trams ordered in 2014, the 12 nine-section trams are 55·9 m long, making them the longest in service anywhere in the world. These operate on Route 1, where the five from the latest order would also go. The remaining trams are five-section vehicles 34 m long, currently in service on routes 3, 17 and 19. The five-section trams from the latest order could also be put into service on routes 2, 50, 56 and 61, if platforms on these routes are rebuilt to allow level boarding.
A consortium of Solaris and Škoda Electric is to supply 60 low-floor trolleybuses, of which 31 will be articulated, for HF10·2bn. BKK signed a framework contract in November 2014 with a consortium of Solaris and Škoda Electric for the supply of up to 108 trolleybuses, worth HF18bn if all options are exercised.
The firm order covered 24 trolleybuses, of which 10 are articulated, and an option exercised in May 2015 adds a further 12, of which six are articulated.
Both orders announced this week are being jointly financed by the government, the municipality and the EU.
