Russia: The manufacturer has announced that the corresponding agreement for the supply of the low-floor single-car 71-911EM trams, dubbed Lvyonok-Moskva, was signed with Moscow Metro.
PC Transport Systems (PC TS) has been awarded the contract after winning an April tender, where the company was the only bidder with its proposal at the tender price. The rolling stock with 30 years of maintenance service is worth RUB 39.9 bln including VAT (approx. USD 501 mln), or around RUB 112 mln (USD 1.4 mln) for one tram. Meanwhile, the contract provides for formula-based pricing which will take into account quarterly indexation.
The first batch of 50 LRVs is expected to arrive in the Russian capital this year, with the rest to be delivered by late 2026. Three PC TS electric transport plants in Tver, St. Petersburg and Engels will participate in the manufacture of the rolling stock. The new trams will be exploited on future lines, as well as will replace the previous-generation vehicles and enlarge the fleet, which should increase transport frequency on the operating routes.
The 71-911EM Lvyonok-Moskva with an aluminium-alloy interior will accommodate 150 passengers, 41 of them seated, and also feature dedicated space for wheelchairs, bicycles and prams. One of the tram’s main innovations is a system which provides an increase of an autonomous run. The onboard energy storage system will reportedly enable a catenary-free range of at least 4 and an average of 7 km at a speed of 20 km/h.
In addition, the new LRVs must be ready to apply driverless technologies. According to the tender technical requirements, “the tram is to be prepared for installation of the equipment for operating in fully unmanned mode without participation of a driver”. Since last May, such technologies have been tested on a PC TS 71-911EM Lvyonok tram.
The 71-911EM Lvyonok has earned a good reputation not only in Moscow but in more than 15 other Russian cities. The data from the portal Transphoto say that PC Transport Systems has so far delivered over 380 LRVs of this model.
