Alstom unveils the UKs first Citadis tram in Nottingham

Alstom today officially unveiled the first of 22 Citadis trams ordered by Nottingham Express Transit (NET)¹ for Nottinghams tramway extension project. This is also the first Alstom tram to be delivered to the UK.  The tram was unveiled in Nottingham in the presence of Councillor and Lord Mayor Merlita Bryan, Phil Hewitt, Chief Executive of Tramlink Nottingham and Terence Watson, Alstom UK President.

The delivery is part of NET phase 2, a project to expand Nottinghams tramway network with the construction of two new lines totalling 17.5 km and 29 stations. The expanded network will see trams depart from Nottingham Station to serve the south and southwest of the city, with the new Citadis showcasing a design adapted to the city.

The Citadis for Nottingham is 32 metres long and can carry up to 200 people at peak times. The 22 new Citadis trams are being built in Alstoms facility in Barcelona. After extensive testing, five of the trams will join the existing fleet on Line 1 in mid-2014, before the rest of the Citadis fleet enters service on the expanded tram network.

Terence Watson, Alstom UK President, said: Were delighted to be bringing our Citadis design to the UK for the first time and especially pleased that were able to do that in Nottingham where were also hard at work building the new tram lines for the city. Citadis for Nottingham has a distinctive look while also blending in with the existing fleet.

Phil Hewitt, Chief Executive of Tramlink Nottingham, said: The delivery of the first of the new trams marks a significant milestone in the transformation of Nottingham's tram network. When they start to appear on Line One next year it will provide our existing customers with a real taste of what's to come as we move towards an even brighter future for NET."

As part of the Tramlink consortium, Alstom has also been awarded the contract to maintain the 22 Citadis trams, and is also maintaining the 15 trams already in service. Alstom is also building the two new lines, with associated overhead wires, track and signalling, with its JV partner Taylor Woodrow as part of the Tramlink Nottingham consortium.

Alstom has already sold nearly 1,700 Citadis to 42 cities in the world. The trams have already carried more than 5 billion passengers and demonstrated their reliability, having run for more than 450 million kilometres.

^{1 - in 2011}

From Barcelona to Nottingham, the delivery of the UK's first Citadis tramset