CAF Set to Supply Additional Trams for Budapest
CAF is to supply a further 26 trams for the city of Budapest, in a contract awarded by BKK (Budapesti Közlekedési Központ), the company responsible for the city’s transport system.
The contract covers the manufacture of 2 tram types: 21 five-module trams and 5 nine-module vehicles, with delivery of the first units expected to start from February 2019 onwards. The contract is worth approximately €55 million.
Trams for Budapest
The trams proposed for Budapest are based on the Urbos platform. These low-floor, two-way vehicles feature four double doors on each side of the five-module trams and seven double doors on the nine-module trams. These vehicles are designed to run on 1435 mm gauge track with an operating speed of 50 km/h.
The 34 metre long five-module trams can carry up to 326 passengers, while the 56 metre long nine-module trams have a carrying capacity of up to 562 passengers, being one of the longest in the world. The entire tram surface is at the same level, providing ease of access for persons with reduced mobility, wheelchair users and passengers with pushchairs (two spaces available per vehicle).
A Reliable Manufacturer for Urban Transport
In March 2014, CAF signed its first contract with this same customer, covering the supply of 37 tram units with a future extension option. In fact, months later, an initial extension was awarded for an additional 10 units, all of which are also now operating as part of the city’s passenger service, with the sum of both transactions totalling more than 115 million euro.
The capital of Hungary was one of the pioneering cities to use this means of urban transport and currently has an extensive tram network with almost 40 lines, some of which boast the highest passenger carrying capacity in the whole of Europe. It is therefore worthy of mention that the city has once again placed its trust in the vehicles manufactured by CAF.
This is CAF’s first project in this new year of 2018, adding to the company’s extensive order book at the close of the last financial year and serving to confirm that CAF is a major player in the European rail market.
Original article © CAF.
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