Euskotren places an order with CAF for three extra-long trams to meet the rise in demand in Vitoria-Gasteiz
- The new units will involve an investment of EUR 20 million and will be delivered in mid-2027
- They will be of the same length – seven modules – and with similar characteristics as the current extra-long ones; however, they include new accessibility features: no folding seats, adapted signage, and colour-coded spaces reserved for people with functional diversity
Euskotren and CAF have today signed the contract for three extra-long trams; they will be added to the Vitoria-Gasteiz fleet in order to meet the ever-greater demand in the city's tramway. The new units will involve an investment of EUR 19,990,987 and they will be delivered in the second half of 2027 to then be brought into service.
The tramway's ever stronger position as a cornerstone of urban transport in Vitoria-Gasteiz, along with the growing demand – particularly significant since the extension to Salburua came into service and the 50% travel discounts were introduced – have required the purchase of new vehicles to ensure a good service, particularly during the rush hour and on high-use dates, such as cultural or sports events or festivities. The Basque Government's Minister for Sustainable Mobility and Chair of Euskotren, Susana García Chueca, stressed that 'we have allowed for the purchase of these three trams to provide citizens with a better service, as they are opting en masse to use the tram to be part of sustainable mobility, with demand on the rise'. With the purchase of those three trams, 'we are taking the first step to expand the fleet, a process that we will complete with the putting out to tender a further nine trams; they will have a large capacity, with the aim of providing citizens with a better service and to meet the needs of the future extension of the Vitoria-Gasteiz tramway to Zabalgana'.
The current fleet of tram rolling stock in Vitoria-Gasteiz comprises 16 units: 7 extra-long and 9 with five modules.
As regards their length and general characteristics, the three new trams will be similar to the current S600 extra-long ones that are in operation on the streets of Vitoria-Gasteiz. They will also have 7 modules, will be 44 metres in length, and will be able to hold up to 400 passengers.
TOWARDS UNIVERSAL ACCESSIBILITY
Even though all the units currently in operation are fully low floor and meet current accessibility regulations, new features have been included in the design and manufacturing of the three new trams to ensure that everybody is as equally able to use an adapted and inclusive public transport. The Basque minister pointed out the 'important work that Euskotren has underway to encourage the participation of different groups with functional diversity, and active listening to learn first-hand about their needs"; she explained that approaches put forward by them have been included in the Strategic Plan to Improve Accessibility in Euskotren 2024-2030.
The new trams will include changes that are already being introduced in the units currently in operation. The different aspects will include adapting the signage to universal accessibility parameters; removing folding seats, and colour coding the priority use seats, so they are better identified. The eight seats of preferential use for passengers with reduced mobility (the elderly, pregnant women, people travelling with small children, etc.) will be orange. Just like the current ones, the new units will also have two specific spaces so wheelchair users can travel safely and with ease.
The extra-long trams include the most advanced technological features to facilitate accessibility for people with visual, hearing and motor impairments. The tram units have a specific door reserved for passengers with reduced mobility and children's pushchairs to get on and off the tram. Wheelchair users will have a specific space at their disposal inside the unit, where they will have a door release device and specific buttons to request stops, open doors and an alarm intercom with the driver's cab.
The new trams will have two sizes of TFT information screens, some placed around the unit showing the destination and next stop, and other longer ones above the doors with a dynamic map of the line.
The Vitoria-Gasteiz tramway includes a T-loop intercom and public address system, which transform the electric signal of the public address system into a magnetic field that directly interacts with the hearing aid of the hearing impaired. Those passengers can thus hear the messages inside the tram more clearly. The units also have strobe lighting signs inside, which alert passengers to the doors opening or closing, and outside, on the guide base of the tram, which are automatically triggered in case of emergency.
The tram entry points are in a different colour to the rest of the units which makes them easier to find. The buttons or controls to open the doors are also in a clearly different colour to that of the doors. Furthermore, the fastening bars or handrails inside the unit are edged in yellow to make them easy to find. The Vitoria-Gasteiz trams have an acoustic guidance system to the doors – which is triggered using a remote control – and to warn when the doors are opening and closing. The ticket machines also have Braille key pads.
As regards safety, each Euskotren unit is fitted with a video-surveillance system, fitted with different cameras inside and out, with image recorders. The tramway also has a sound system to warn when the units are passing by. It has two intensity levels: one for normal situations and the other more intense one for possible emergencies in the service.
Every tram has a lighting signage system, consisting of strobe lights, to visually indicate a possible risk situation. The Euskotren units have a built-in speed control system, which prevents the maximum speed limits along the whole route being broken, and a control system that stops the unit in case the driver loses consciousness or becomes indisposed.