Utrecht awards tram deal to Spain’s CAF
Published: Fri, 2014-12-05 14:08The authorities of Utrecht have awarded a contract for the supply of 27 trams for the designed Uithof line to Spanish rolling stock producer CAF, the Bestuur Regio Utrecht (BRU) said in a statement.
Under the deal, CAF will launch deliveries of the low-floor trams to the Dutch city in 2017, with the last units scheduled to be supplied in 2018. The trams are to be fitted with a length of 32 metres, the statement said.
The latest rolling stock deal is part of an investment by Utrecht in launching the new tram line, which is estimated to be worth about €440 million ($542 million). The contract for carrying out the construction works was awarded to Bunnik-based company Royal BAM Group .
"Construction works on the tram line infrastructure are expected to begin on the turn of 2015 and 2016," the BRU said.
The line between Utrecht Central Station and De Uithof, which will consist of nine stops and be fitted with a length of some 8 km, is expected to be put into operation in mid-2018. The journey will take about 17 minutes, according to data released by the BRU.
Located in the country's south-western part, the city of Utrecht has a population of more than 330,000.