POLAND: Tramwaje Warszawskie has opened a public vote on the styling of the fleet of trams that Hyundai Rotem is to supply to the capital.
The supplier has presented three options for the front-end, and the operator will choose one based on the public vote. From October 25 to 30, residents can vote online or using paper forms at 21 customer service points and 10 interchanges. TW expects to announce the result in November.
TW signed a 1·8bn złoty contract with Hyundai Rotem in June for the supply of up to 213 trams, in what the operator says is the largest ever tram contract in Poland. The base order includes 123 fully low-floor trams to be delivered by the end of 2022: 85 bidirectional and 18 unidirectional trams 32·5 m long, as well as 20 unidirectional trams 24 m long. There are options for a further 45 bidirectional and 45 unidirectional 32·5 m trams, which would be delivered by the end of 2023 if the options are exercised.
The procurement is being partly financed with 285m złoty from EU funds. The new vehicles would be used across the network, including on the 20 km of extensions that are currently planned. These include branches to Wilanów, Gocław and Winnica, as well as a route along ul Kasprzaka. A route serving Warszawa Zachodnia railway station would be built partly in tunnel.
