Alstom and its Russian joint-venture, TramRus1, have concluded an agreement with City Transport Group, a filial of the LAZ Group and the main bus manufacturer in Ukraine, to produce modern high speed tramways for the Ukrainian market. The agreement was signed in presence of Ukrainian Prime-Minister, Nikolay Azarov.
Eighty percent of the trams currently in operation in Ukraine (2,500 15-metre long trams) are obsolete. The replacement of the fleet will enable urban rail transport efficiency and passenger comfort to be increased.
The objectives of this partnership are to organize manufacturing, operation and maintenance of modern tramways by City Transport Group in Ukraine under licence from TramRus. Based on Alstom’s flagship model Citadis, this tramway was specially designed for the CIS market.
The lifetime of the Citadis CIS is 30 years, compared with 18 years for the present Ukrainian trams. Designed for maximum speed of 75 km/h, it can run at an average speed of 25 km/h depending on existing infrastructure and signalling systems, compared to 11 km/h for the existing fleet.
Ukraine’s tramway is a full low-floor 25 to 35-metre long vehicle. It can transport up to 255 passengers and provide easy access to people with reduced mobility. It can be equipped with WiFi internet connections and its interior and exterior designs can be fully customised according to the needs of each city.
