Bombardier wins FLEXITY tram order from Mulheim Transport Authority

• 42 trams have been ordered to date for operation in the Ruhr region of Germany on behalf of the VIA Transport Authority
• The first vehicle for Essen was presented to the public in September 2013

Rail technology leader Bombardier Transportation has won a contract from the Mulheim Transport Authority (MVG) for 10 BOMBARDIER FLEXITY Classic trams. The new order is valued at approximately 27 million euro ($37 million US).

The Essen Transport Authority (EVAG) placed an order for 27 FLEXITY trams in December 2011 and the MVG called off an option for another five vehicles in June 2012. The transport authorities Duisburg Transport Authority (DVG), EVAG and MVG have been united at an operational level in the VIA Transport Authority since 2010. The MVG moves nearly 27 million passengers per year. The first tram went into operation in the city in 1897.

Klaus-Peter Wandelenus, Managing Director, MVG, said: “With this tram we have achieved a high level of standardization which will result in short servicing and maintenance periods. The tram’s operating efficiency over the entire lifecycle is of utmost importance. There is no room for isolated solutions and technical experiments. The new low-floor trams symbolize how we will act in Via in future. On the one hand we have never been able to offer our customers so much barrier-free comfort, while on the other hand we developed this tram together with Bombardier placing a particular focus on economical operation.”

The three-module, bi-directional vehicles are identical to the trams already ordered. They are 30 m long and 2.3 m wide with a capacity of 172 passengers and equipped with the innovative BOMBARDIER MITRAC propulsion system. Conventional wheel-set bogies ensure a smooth ride and reduce wear and tear of wheels and tracks. Bombardier produces the trams at its manufacturing site in Bautzen, the electrical equipment at its site in Mannheim, and the bogies at its site in Siegen. The first vehicles are scheduled to be delivered in August 2015.

To date more than 600 FLEXITY Classic trams are on order or operating successfully worldwide, including in the German cities of Dortmund, Dresden, Frankfurt, Halle, Kassel, as well as Adelaide in Australia, Krakow in Poland and Norrkoping in Sweden. Bombardier offers the industry’s most complete portfolio of light rail solutions with a strong reputation for passenger comfort, low energy consumption and reliability. More than 4,000 Bombardier trams and light rail vehicles are in revenue service or on order across Europe, Australia and North America.