RUSSIA: Moscow City Government's transport department has selected a consortium of Uralvagonzavod and Bombardier Transportation for a contract to supply 120 low-floor trams to modernise the capital's extensive tram network.
After an earlier bidding process was cancelled in mid-2012, a second call for tenders was announced in October, with bids to be submitted by the end of November. When the tenders were opened on December 13, UVZ and Bombardier were low-bidders with 8·46bn roubles, against 8·5bn from Transmashholding and Alstom Transport; this is below the city's initial estimate of 9bn roubles.
Other shortlisted suppliers including Sinara/Uralvagonmash, Ust-Katav, CAF, Koncar and Pesa reportedly failed to submit a final bid.
The city has been looking to acquire three-section cars between 25 m and 30 m long, with capacity for 175 to 255 passengers and a maximum speed of 75 km/h. The air-conditioned vehicles will also be equipped with a GLONASS satellite-based location system.
Four pre-series prototype trams are due to be ready for testing in the first quarter of 2014, with 70 cars to be delivered by the end of 2014 and the remaining 50 before the end of 2015.
