“Škoda” to deliver 20 new low-floor trams to Riga : Current information : Rīgas satiksme

Back to list Print 28. Apr. 2016

“Škoda” to deliver 20 new low-floor trams to Riga

As part of updating Riga’s tram fleet, ”Rīgas satiksme” has signed a contract on the delivery of 20 low-floor trams with Czech company „Škoda Transportation”. The first low-floor trams under this contract will be delivered in the first half of 2017, and all “Škoda 15T Riga” trams are to be delivered until the end of 2017. The purchase of the new trams will not affect the prices of tickets in Riga public transport, yet it will significantly improve the quality of passenger transportation in the city, particularly of those passengers who use trams on a daily basis. It is planned that the new trams will run on route No. 4 to Imanta.

All the new low-floor trams have air conditioners, electronic payment system, displays, video monitoring system, passenger counting system, spare parts necessary for maintenance, as well as other equipment.

The contract signed with „Škoda Transportation” provides that the winner of the tender has to manufacture and deliver 15 three-section and 5 four-section trams. Trams have to be adjusted for passengers with special needs and limited mobility. The trams must be also safe for operation within the existing public transport infrastructure in Riga city without reconstruction. The period of guarantee for the trams is three years; the period of service is 30 years.

The price of one 3-section tram “Škoda 15T Riga 2” is EUR 2.7 M, and that of one 4-section tram “Škoda 15T Riga 2A” is EUR 3.5 M. The fulfilment of the contract signed as a result of the procurement procedure will be ensured with the funding provided by the supplier. The term of repaying the price of trams is 15 years from the day of signing the contract with a 3-year grace period. The interest rate is 2.7% + 6 MEURIBOR. The total amount of the contract is EUR 62, 591, 477. The contract provides not only for the purchase of 20 low-floor trams, but also for the delivery of materials and equipment necessary for their operation.

“Rīgas satiksme” reminds that it received 3 offers for the delivery of 20 low-floor trams, and 22 potential candidates had taken interest in the tender statutes before offers were submitted. After the necessary documents were evaluated in conformity with the tender procedure, one candidate was rejected as not complying with the requirements of the tender statutes, and another candidate failed to submit its offer before the deadline and confirmed in writing that it was not ready to manufacture the low-floor trams necessary for Riga.

Comparison of prices of low-floor trams delivered in Europe:

Alstom delivers 15 Citadis Dualis trams to the Ile-de-France region for EUR 75 M (price of one tram is EUR 5 M);
Bombardier delivers 47 Flexity trams to Berlin for EUR 178 M (price of one tram is EUR 3.7 M);
Bombardier delivers 20 Flexity trams to Innsbruck for EUR 71 M (price of one tram is EUR 3.66 M);
CAF delivers 21 trams to Luxembourg for EUR 83 M (price of one tram is EUR 3.95 M).

Today „Rīgas satiksme” runs a fleet of 189 trams, including 26 low-floor vehicles. Now the low-floor trams run on routes No. 6 and 11, which are fully adjusted for traffic of low-floor trams in Riga. The previous low-floor tender ended in 2008, and under the contract signed between „Rīgas satiksme” andthe winner of the tender, „Škoda Transportation”, Riga received 26 low-floor trams, of which 20 have three sections and 6 have four sections.

Tram is an environment friendly means of transportation and one of the fastest types of urban public transport. The average speed of trams in Riga is 16.07 km/h. The total length of rail tracks is 124 km, and the number of tram stops is 242. Every year trams in Riga carry 34 million passengers on the average.

More information about the services offered by „Rīgas satiksme”, schedules, types of tickets and other news are available at www.rigassatiksme.lv or on Twitter, Facebook and draugiem.lv.