Rolling stock manufacturer Alstom is to supply the French city of Strasbourg with 27 new-generation Citadis trams.

The new trams, to be supplied from 2026, will reinforce the fleet operated by the Eurométropole de Strasbourg and the Compagnie des Transports Strasbourgeois (CTS).

Alstom argues that this additional order demonstrates that the Eurométropole de Strasbourg and CTS have confidence in this tram design.

In April 2023, Alstom and Eurométropole de Strasbourg signed an eight-year framework agreement worth up to 250 million euros to supply the trams. The first batch, or a dozen trams, was ordered in 2023 and will be delivered from spring this year.

The trams are 45 metres long and 2.4 metres wide. They have eight double doors measuring 1.3 metres on each side, including at the ends, which allow passengers to get on and off more easily. The vehicles have fully glazed doors, which improves passenger comfort and safety.

Each tram can hold up to 286 passengers. Their design complies with PRM (People with Reduced Mobility) regulations, having door opening buttons at the correct height, wider seats, 100% full low-floor access and areas reserved for wheelchair users and pushchairs.

Further features that enable comfort and access include loudspeakers; acoustic signal to indicate door position; air conditioning; dynamic passenger information system; and a video protection system.

Alstom claims that its Citadis trams reduce energy consumption by 25% compared with current rolling stock. They achieve this through new engines, efficient management of climate comfort and 100% LED lighting. The trams are 95% recyclable and 98% reusable.

Alstom has also designed the new trams to reduce preventive maintenance operations by sixteen per cent over their three decades of commercial service.

Alstom has already secured orders for its Citadis trams from seventy cities and twenty countries, to produce more than three thousand trams. These include Quebec City in Canada and Cologne in Germany.

Citadis trams have travelled more than a billion kilometres and carried ten billion passengers since they first entered service in 2000.

“We are delighted with this additional order for new-generation Citadis trams. We would like to thank the Eurométropole de Strasbourg and CTS for their confidence in our ability to meet the growing need for sustainable and innovative mobility in the European capital.”

Frédéric Wiscart, President of Alstom France