Press releases

2017/01/18

NEW TRAMS BY CAF FOR THE PROVINCE OF UTRECHT

Today, the Province of Utrecht (Netherlands) and CAF signed a supplementary agreement, ordering the production and delivery of 22 trams, type Urbos 100, in addition to the ongoing order for 27 trams. The contract was closed by Jacqueline Verbeek-Nijhof, on behalf of the Provincial Excecutive, and Josu Esnaola, sales director CAF.

The new trams will replace the more than 30 year old vehicles currently operating on the line between the cities of Utrecht, Nieuwegein and IJsselstein. It is expected that this improved service will attract more passengers. Therefore the new trams are an extended version of the Urbos 100 tram ordered in January 2015 by the Province of Utrecht for the Uithofline.

This new series of trams will boost light rail ridership on the Uithofline by 35,000 passengers per day in 2018, rising to 45,000 passengers per day in 2020. Ridership is also forecast to increase along the route to and from Nieuwegein and IJsselstein.

The new trams consist of 7 modules instead of 5, thus reaching a length of over 41 metres. Apart from the difference in length both versions of the Urbos 100 trams are identical. Is it also possible to couple the two tram versions leading to a total length of 75 metres and a total capacity of almost 500 passengers. This will make it the longest city tram expected to operate in Europe.

Energy efficient

Both tram versions are energy efficient, using regenerative braking and LED-lighting, and are prepared for installation of an energy recovery pack system which reduces energy consumption even more. In addition, this new system allows the tram to run without the traditional overhead catenary. Apart from the attractive appearance and high comfort level, passengers will enjoy the transparent interior, easy accessibility, comfortable climate control and accurate passenger information systems.

The first Urbos 100 tram for the new fleet has arrived in Utrecht and is now made ready for test runs. These trams will be expected to operate on the Uithofline in the summer of 2018. The second batch of 22 trams is planned to start operations in Utrecht, Nieuwegein and IJsselstein in 2020.

Once again, this certifies the significance of the European market for the company. Stand out projects amongst those currently implemented on the continent include the supply of trams for the cities of Freiburg, Cagliari, St. Étienne, Luxembourg and Amsterdam, metro units for Brussels, Istanbul and Helsinki, commuter and regional trains for the United Kingdom and The Netherlands, and high speed trains for Norway.