SPAIN: The first seven-section CAF Series 600 Urbos tram was presented at Ibaionso depot in Vitoría-Gasteiz on December 10, ahead of the start of overnight testing the following week. Three more were scheduled to be delivered from CAF’s Irún factory by the end of 2019.
Three seven-section trams were ordered by Euskotren for Vitoría-Gasteiz’s 7·8 km, two-line metre gauge network in late December 2017 under a €14·5m contract. This also included provision to lengthen the city’s existing Series 500 trams from five to seven sections, increasing their capacity from 270 to 400 passengers each. In May 2019, the contract was modified to cover the supply of a further four seven-section trams, within a budget of €23m.
The fleet expansion reflects the fact that the Vitoria tramway has seen ridership grow strongly over recent years, reaching 8·3 million in 2018; this has led to significant overcrowding problems.
The Series 600 Urbos cars are bi-directional, 100% low-floor, 44·2 m long and 2 400 mm wide, weighing 53 tonnes. Maximum speed is 70 km/h. There are eight pairs of entrance doors, and 58 fixed and six tip-up seats, the latter situated in the four areas designed for wheelchairs. During autumn 2019, the Basque regional infrastructure manager, Euskal Trenbide Sarea, lengthened platforms across the network, in readiness for the arrival of the new fleet.
