Russia: The value of the contract between the city’s urban transport operator Gorelektrotrans and PC Transport Systems (PC TS) will be 6.9 bln RUR ($90 mln USD). Also, St. Petersburg launched 2 more tenders for 135 trams with an overall maximum price of 24.4 bln RUR ($320 mln USD).
PC TS will supply St. Petersburg with two-section 71-923M “Bogatyr M” and three-section 71-931M “Vityaz M” trams. The manufacturer became the only participant in the competition, there was no reduction in price. Two production sites of PC TS will be involved in the implementation of the supply. The primary assembly of the bodies will be carried out at the Tver Mechanical Plant of Electric Transport, the final assembly and running-in will be provided at the Nevsky Plant of Electric Transport. Most of the vehicles should be delivered this year.
The specification of the competition includes the requirement to the design of the ensuring the tram possibility to pass the curves of 16 m (at 5 km/h) and 18 m radius. The maximum passenger capacity of two-section trams should be at least 130 people, and the length should be 19-22 m. In turn, the three-section version must accommodate at least 200 passengers and have a length of 27-31 m. Also, trams must be able to move autonomously for at least 3 km. Most of the vehicles are due to be delivered this year, with deliveries scheduled to be completed by the end of November 2023.
Currently, 58 trams manufactured by PC TS are in operation in St. Petersburg. The most common model is 71-931M “Vityaz-M” (32 units), followed by 71-923M “Bogatyr-M” model (11 units), 71-931 “Vityaz” (10 units) and 71-923 ” Bogatyr”(3 units). Also, the city’s fleet includes two three-section 71-931AM “Vityaz-Leningrad” trams with bodies made entirely of aluminum. According to PC TS, the use of aluminum made it possible to increase the life of the body and reduce the weight of the tram by 20%, which should provide a lighter push on the rails. 71-931AM tram was first introduced in 2020, then PC TS produced 2 such cars and delivered them to St. Petersburg.
Presentation of the 71-931AM tram by PC TS with an aluminum body. Source: PC TS
St.Petersburg is on the way to a large renovation of its tram fleet. This week its official bodies have announced plans to purchase in total 339 trams until 2024. It should help to renew 65% of trams. Recently St. Petersburg and Gorelektrotrans have announced two more tenders for the tram supply.
The first one has a maximum cost of 12.8 bln RUR ($170 mln USD) and includes a request for the supply of 42 three-section and 12 two-section low-floor trams on lease. The vehicles must be made in retro style and fit into curves with a radius of 14 m. Gorelektrotrans gives more than a year to develop a fundamentally new tram: the first six units must be sent to the city by the end of May 2023. The results of the tender are scheduled to be summed up on March 11.
The second’s maximum price is 11.6 bln RUR ($150 mln USD) and it includes the order for a total of 81 low-floor trams: 23 two-section, 20 three-section and 38 three-section vehicles with 2 cabins for two-way operation. The vehicles should include several digital features: the system of turning green traffic lights in order of priority movement, the remote control of the switchers, and the automatic passenger counter. The first batch of the trams is planned to arrive in St. Petersburg in May and the whole supply should be finished by the end of November in 2023. It is planned to name the contract winner on March 10.
