The first six of the 100 trams purchased from the Romanian manufacturer Astra Vagoane Călători Arad will be delivered in June, earlier than the contract-set deadline, Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan announced after a visit at the Arad-based company.

“I’m glad to be in Arad, inside a Romanian plant that will manufacture trams for Bucharest. As you know, we have a contract with Astra Arad for 100, 36-meter trams. The ones you see here are the first six of this contract. According to the contract, the first tram should have been delivered in August 2022, but the director surprised us and told us that we could have the first tram in this series around June 1,” Dan said, quoted by Hotnews.ro.

With the arrival of these trams, Bucharest will start renewing its tram fleet, mostly made up of trams manufactured before 1990, the mayor explained. 

“Adding to the 100 trolleybuses and 100 electric buses that the City Hall will purchase, the acquisition of the trams is an important step in electrifying the public transport fleet in the capital,” Dan said.

Last year, the Bucharest City Hall signed a contract with Astra Vagoane to purchase 100 trams.

According to a release from the Bucharest Transport Company (STB), the operator of the city’s overground public transport, the new trams have a total capacity of 322 seats, 56 of them seated. They are equipped with access facilities and platforms for people with disabilities, air conditioning, LED lighting, extra-wide monitors to display the route and the stations, and WiFi. They are also endowed with a regenerative braking system, video surveillance system, and allow travelers to transport their bikes without taking up the space meant for other passengers, among others.

(Photo: Nicusor Dan Facebook Page)

simona@romania-insider.com