Alstom has just delivered its 40th Flexity tram to Gothenburg's Transit Authority, Göteborgs Spårvägar and Västtrafik in Sweden.
This completes an order that was signed in 2016. with the first Flexity vehicle, known locally as M33, being delivered in 2019 and the fleet having completed 4.5 million kilometres in operation. Gothenburg has Sweden's largest tram network extending to a network of over 160 km of tracks.
Construction took place at Alstom's site at Bautzen in Germany. and were built with consortium partner Kiepe-Electric as a replacement for part of Gothenburg's current fleet.
Since the delivery of the first tram, Flexity has since become a part of Gothenburg's iconic cityscape. The modern and contemporary design has received praise from both passengers and operators, who appreciate their reliability as well as the enhanced comfort and the full low floor providing high accessibility.
As well as these M33 trams, Alstom is in the process of delivering a further 60 units known as Flexity tram M33 Type C, also known as the M34, which is a longer 45-metre version of the M33 tram and increases passenger capacity by 50 percent.
The Flexity trams combine a full low floor to improve accessibility with conventional wheel-set bogies, and are designed to meet the city's tracks and weather conditions.
They also meet Gothenburg's requirements for environmentally friendly public transport, and have an obstacle detection assistance system for increased safety.
Alstom has supplied its Flexity trams to customers around the world, with 5,000 Flexity either on order or in service in 70 cities including Brussels, Berlin, Magdeburg, Vienna, Gothenburg, Toronto, Melbourne and Gold Coast.
As well as supplying the Flexity trams to Gothernburg, Alstom is the largest manufacturer of trains for the Swedish market and to date has delivered over 1000 trains delivered, as well as having maintenance contracts at 19 local depots and at a depot in Motala that specialises in heavy maintenance and refurbishment. Alstom is also leading the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) rollout in Sweden of both onboard and trackside equipment, and is supplying the new standard national traffic management system for Trafikverket.
Maria Signal Martebo, MD Alstom in Sweden, said “We are delighted and proud to see the final delivery of the Flexity M33 tram, serving the local population through a modern, reliable light rail fleet with increased comfort for passengers.”
The Flexity 2 trams in Blackpool were not mentioned. I am still not quite sure which one out of the Flexity range of trams they are talking about in this article.