Alstom is celebrating 15 years of flawless operation by its fleet of Citadis trams in the city of Murcia in Spain.

Operated by Sociedad Concesionaria Tranvía de Murcia (TDM), the fleet has delivered 100% availability. Opened on May 28th, 2011, the Murcia tram network is 18 km long, has 28 stops, and links the Murcia city centre with the Nueva Condomina football stadium and the campuses of the University of Murcia and UCAM Catholic University of Murcia.

In its first year, the trams carried 5.5 million users, but rose to over 8.3 million last year. Since its inauguration, the network has reduced emissions in the city by over 35,000 tonnes of CO₂, equivalent to planting over one million trees during the same period.

The fleet consists of 11 Citadis fully accessible trams with a capacity for 280 passengers, with Alstom being responsible for the comprehensive maintenance of the entire fleet.

Alstom has the contract to maintain the fleet and has achieved the remarkable figure of 100% fleet availability. This has proved a major logistical challenge, as only a few hours each day are available for maintenance. To keep the trams operational, when a part requires being sent away for repair, it is exchanged with another.

In their 15 years of service, there have only been four days when 100% peak hours availability was not achieved. Adaptability and flexibility in maintenance schedules are the key. Instead of a tram being out of service for several days at a time, work is carried out in several brief sessions spread across several days. Required tasks are carried out in the time available, which even extends to major jobs such as reprofiling bogies, where the work may be completed over several days.

Preventive maintenance and data monitoring play a great part in maintaining the fleet, with 90% of maintenance surveillance and planning being digitised. Alstom is in the process of implementing HealthHub™ and TrainTracer, which, with the help of smart and AI applications, use the data to detect and prevent any issues.

Elsewhere in Spain, Alstom has secured a contract to overhaul the Citadis tram fleet of Madrid tram operator Metro Ligero Oeste. Alstom is also supplying an additional 27 Citadis trams for Strasbourg’s tram network.

“The reason for Murcia Tramway can be summed up as ‘social responsibility in its purest form’. Our goal is to provide the most efficient mobility service in terms of time, regularity, affordability and comfort to the people who travel with us. At the same time, we are committed to improving the environmental quality in our service area of the city, thus bringing the benefits of this means of public transport to the entire community.”

Severiano Arias, General Director of Tranvia de Murcia