The extension of both agreements, with a combined volume that exceeds €75 million, is evidence of the trust the clients place in CAF as well as its leadership in the European tram market.
Last May, CAF was entrusted by the companies Stadtwerke Bonn Verkehrs GmbH (SWBV) and Elektrische Bahnen der Stadt Bonn und des Rhein-Sieg-Kreises GmbH (SSB), operators of the transport services in the city of Bonn and its outskirts, to supply 22 LRV units. This agreement included the possibility of extending the scope by an additional 10 units, an option that they enforced just 7 months later, increasing the total number of supplied units to 32 LRVs.
The fleets which are managed by SWBV and SSB run on the Bonn railway network and also provide services on part of the interurban lines which connect the city with neighbouring Cologne. The addition of CAF's new vehicles will improve the services and cater for the projected passenger volume increase over the coming years.
These high-floor two-way units, which are 28 metres long, are similar in design and dimensions to the current units called "Stadtbahnwagen B", but are fitted with state-of-the-art comfort and safety developments for these types of urban transport units.
This project gives credence to CAF's growth in Germany, where it has accomplished various milestones over recent months, including the contract entered into with the German transport authorities VRR and NWL for the supply of 73 battery-powered trains, the order for LRVs for the cities of Essen and Hannover, and the recent extension of the contract for trams for Freiburg.
More Trams for the City of Budapest
CAF will also supply 20 new trams for Budapest, which will specifically be purchased by BKK (Budapesti Közlekedési Központ), the company responsible for managing transport in the Hungarian capital. The units will comprise 5 modules and the first deliveries are envisaged to take place in the second half of 2024.
CAF secured its first contract with BKK in March 2014, which consisted in the supply of 37 Urbos platform tram units with the option to increase the number of units in possible future extensions. The client has, in fact, already enforced a tranche of these options over the course of the past years, having received 36 more units, all of which are in commercial service.
These vehicles have been designed to run at a service speed of 50 km/h, with a capacity for up to 326 passengers. These are also low-floor vehicles, thereby facilitating access for people with reduced mobility, wheelchairs, and baby carriages.
Budapest was one of the pioneer cities when it came to using this means of urban transport and currently boasts an extensive network consisting of almost 40 tram lines, some of which transport the highest volume of passengers in Europe. This lends more weight to the fact that the city is once again placing its trust in vehicles manufactured by the CAF Group as it must also be noted that a significant amount of Solaris trolleybuses are already operating in the Magyar capital. This client has placed orders for a total of more than 108 Solaris Trollino vehicles since 2014.