SWITZERLAND: Zürich city council and transport authority ZVV approved an SFr172m order for a further 40 Bombardier Transportation Flexity trams on December 9.
The vehicles will be supplied under a May 2016 framework contract which included a base order for 70 trams worth SFr358m, including spare parts, depot equipment and driver training, with options for up to 70 more.
The first of the 43 m long seven-section metre gauge trams was delivered in November 2019, and they began entering services on Routes 4 and 11 towards the end of October. Eight are due to be delivered by the end of 2020, 17 in 2021 and the last of the 70 from the initial order in Q3 2024.
‘The need for public transport will continue to grow as the population increases’, said Dr Guido Schoch, director of operator VBZ. ‘More than 50% of Zürich’s citizens do not own a car. In order to maintain this high proportion the public transport offer must be attractive to our customers, and the new FLEXITY trams contribute significantly to this.’
