Helsinki City Transport Orders 10 ForCity Smart Artic Trams from Transtech Oy
Transtech Oy, a subsidiary of Škoda Transportation, will supply ten of its ForCity Smart Artic trams to Helsinki City Transport (HKL) for 30 million euros. The agency has previously ordered a total of 99 trams worth more than 300 million euros from the company.
The ForCity Smart Artic tram is a one-directional three-part model with a 1000 mm gauge; it is 274 m long and fully low-floor. It is all-wheel drive and the chassis and axle are designed to maximise the efficiency of operations in challenging climatic conditions. It also provides barrier-free access for wheelchair users and prams.
Ville Lehmuskoski, CEO of Helsinki City Transport, said:
“The future growth of the city of Helsinki is very much based on increasing tram transportation. It is therefore easy to make this decision to increase our Artic fleet.”
Zdeněk Majer, Vice President of Škoda Transportation and Chairman of Transtech Oy, said:
“I am very proud that HKL Helsinki is satisfied with the Škoda´s trams. We have been really successful on this market in the last years. Transtech has fully incorporated into Škoda Transportation group with the sales of about 120 million EUR.”
HKL ordered its first ForCity Smart Artic tram from Transtech in 2013 and there are currently 48 in operation around the city.
Lasse Orre, CEO of Transtech Oy, said:
“The popularity of the trams is increasing among the passengers and Helsinki City is responding to that by exercising an option. In close co-operation with Helsinki City Transportation we have developed a tram which is reliable and energy efficient and has proven to be the right choice. We believe that it will be also a success in the international market.”
Transtech, which was founded in 1985 and employs around 700 people, is the largest manufacturer of rolling stock in Nordic countries. It principally manufactures double-decker passenger coaches, trams and engineering products.
