Alstom Catalonia plant to build 38 trams for Frankfurt

The first two trams are expected to start running in 2020 and will operate on the current network of the German city

Trains made by Alstom at the Santa Perpètua de Mogoda plant on April 30 2018 (by Alstom)
Trains made by Alstom at the Santa Perpètua de Mogoda plant on April 30 2018 (by Alstom) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

June 19, 2018 08:37 PM

The French multinational Alstom, based in Catalonia in the town of Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, to the northwest of Barcelona, has signed a contract for 100 million euros to build 38 tramways for the city of Frankfurt. The tram cars will be Citadis, and the contract includes the possibility of building 15 additional vehicles. 

All the cars will be fabricated in the industrial center that the company has in Catalonia, where cars of this type are also built for Sydney, Australia, and Lusail, Qatar. In the contract with the city of Frankfurt, Alstom is also to run tests on the metropolis' current rail network and to provide pieces to change if needed. 

The first tramway cars are expected to be delivered in 2020 and for them to circulate using the city's current railway network. And, according to Alstom data, some 825,000 people are expected to be living the Frankfurt city center. Each tramway will be 31.5 meters long, with 3 cars, and capacity for 197 passengers. 

Alstom has already sold more than 2,500 Citadis-type tramways to over 50 cities worldwide. Starting in the year 2000, when it kicked the first one off, they've traversed over 1,000 million kilometers, carrying close to 9,000 million passengers.