Ukraine: 55 trams were delivered to Dnipro, Zaporozhye, Odessa, Kiev and Kamenskoye last year, which is 41% more than in 2020, when these cities received 39 trams. Such assessments were presented by the AllTransUA website.
CHANGED: Updated information regarding possible deliveries of Stadler Rail trams for Ukrainian cities.
The leader in purchases was Dnipro, which leased 20 used Tatra T4D-M trams from Leipzig, manufactured by the Czech ČKD in the 1980s and modernized in the mid-1990s. Now the city operates about 50 trams of this series, the deliveries of which began in 2011.
The used rolling stock was also bought by Zaporozhye: last year, as a part of the “Zaporozhye Tram” program to upgrade the tram fleet, the city bought 12 Tatra KT4 4D articulated tram cars from Berlin for 39.6 mln UAH (about $1.4 mln), produced by the Czech ČKD not earlier than 1980. Also, one partially low-floor single-section tram T3-KVP was assembled in the depot of the city’s operator Zaporozhelektrotrans. Bodies of Czech Tatra T3 trams and bodies produced by the Polytechnoservice company make the basis for the vehicles. In addition, the rolling stock is equipped with new or refurbished Tatra T3 bogies and a control system developed by the Czech Cegelec TV-Progress. In total, over the entire period of the “Zaporozhye Tram” program since 2017, 14 trams have been produced in the city and 25 used trams have been purchased from European carriers.
Other 3 used Tatra T6A5 cars arrived at Kamenskoye from Prague.
Tram T3-KVP “Odyssey” manufactured in 2021 on the streets of Zaporozhye. Source: Pikalisi TV, transphoto.org
In turn, in Odessa, the tram cars assembly continued at the production facilities of the city’s operator Odesgorelectrotrans. In 2021, 5 partially low-floor single-section and 1 three-section T3-KVP “Odyssey” trams were put into operation. This modification was developed specifically for Odessa and differs from the T3-KVP in a body extended by one window section, a new interior and exterior design.
The capital of the country, Kiev, received a total of 10 trams in 2021. As part of contracts implementation concluded in 2019-2020, 6 low-floor three-section 71-414K-2 (Fokstrot) trams of Pesa and 1 five-section T5B64 tram of the Electron company, also with a completely low floor, were delivered to the city.
In addition to this, Kiev has received 3 low-floor three-section K1T306 trams from another Ukrainian producer, Tatra-Yug. Lviv has also received 3 five-section T5L64 “Electron” trams. Both contracts are funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB).
Tram “Electron” T5L64 on the street of Kiev. Source: Dan.V, transphoto.org
Several delivered trams were not previously mass-produced. Thus, the three-section low-floor K1T306 tram was developed by Tatra-Yug specifically for participation in the Kiev tender. It is 26 meters long, can accommodate up to 300 passengers and has 57 seats. In turn, the narrow-gauge tram “Electron” T5L64 is the first completely low-floor tram produced in the country. It was originally developed in 2012 for Yevpatoriya on the Crimean Peninsula, but the city administration refused to purchase it. At the same time, in 2013, “Electron” released a prototype, but it took several years for serial production. Only in September 2020, the city’s operator Lvivelectrotrans ordered 10 trams of this series. The maximum passenger capacity of the tram is 250 people, the number of seats is 58. The car has a reduced level of vibration and noise, automatic lubrication systems for wheel flanges on curved sections to increase the service life of the track. In the braking mode, it is possible to regenerate electricity into the grid (according to the manufacturer, electricity savings is up to 40%).
Tram V85300M “Metelitsa” by Stadler Rail during testing on the streets of Kharkov. Source: kharkov.comments.ua
It is worth noting that in autumn of 2021, a low-floor three-section B85300M tram “Metelitsa”, which is serially produced by Stadler Rail in Belarus, also arrived for testing in Kharkiv. In recent months, the possibility of their purchase with the localization of production in Ukraine have been discussed, but no specific steps have been taken so far.
At the same time, it became known that Stadler Rail submitted an application for the Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih tender for 18 low-floor three-section trams supply, but it was rejected and demanded to eliminate inconsistencies by December 29 of 2021. In turn, the applications of two other participants, Tatrа-Yug and the UKCP-Ukraine trading house (a dealer of Ust-Katav Car-Building Plant from Russia), were admitted to the competition.
