First trams from three-city joint order enter passenger service

GERMANY: Frankfurt (Oder) transport operator SVF has put into service the first of the Škoda Group ForCity Plus FCB trams being supplied to three cities which placed a joint order.

The €110m order for 24 trams was placed by Frankfurt (13 trams), Cottbus (seven) and Brandenburg an der Havel (four) in February 2021, and another 15 have since been ordered by Cottbus.

Škoda Group has so far delivered eight of the trams ordered by SVF to replace its ageing Tatra KT4 fleet.

‘Frankfurt is the first to bring the new trams into passenger service, and it’s a key step in this ambitious project’, said Jan Christoph Harder, President Region West & North at Škoda Group, on June 17.

‘This contract brought together three cities with different technical requirements but a shared vision for modern, accessible transport. Meeting all those needs with one platform wasn’t easy, but it’s exactly the kind of challenge we’re here to solve. It’s great to see that effort now paying off for the people who use these trams every day.’

The three-section unidirectional 70% low-floor trams for the three cities will be similar in design, with air-conditioning, multifunctional spaces for wheelchairs, prams or bicycles, an easy-to-understand information system and CCTV. However, there are various operator-specific requirements, and the vehicles are being supplied in two widths to fit the legacy infrastructure in the different cities.

All three cities expect to gradually introduce the new trams into operation in the coming months.