SWITZERLAND: The Transport Council of Canton Zürich and the Zürich City Council have approved the order of 70 trams from Bombardier, operator VBZ announced on May 17. The contract is worth SFr358m including spare parts, depot equipment and driver training.
The first Flexity Zürich is due to arrive in December 2018, with deliveries taking place until the end of 2023. The low-floor trams will replace the first and second builds of Tram 2000, which are nearing the end of their 40-year service life.
The seven-section metre gauge trams will be 43 m long, 2 400 mm wide and 3 600 mm high with 90 seats and capacity for 186 standing passengers at 4/m2. Bodyshells will be made of steel, and the empty weight will be 57 tonnes. Three of the four trucks will be driven by two 110 kW asynchronous traction motors each, giving a maximum speed of 70 km/h.
