100th CITADIS tram goes into service

To date 380 CITADIS have been ordered worldwide. The
trams are already in operation in Montpellier, Orleans, Lyons and
Melbourne; are currently being delivery to Dublin; and are in
production for Bordeaux, Rotterdam, Paris, Valenciennes,
Barcelona and Kassel. For the latter, ALSTOM is supplying its
Regio CITADIS tram-train, which will operate in both the German
city and around its surrounding suburbs, providing its passengers
with a seamless rail service.

The CITADIS modular design, backed by optimized manufacturing
processes and service-proven components, enables short lead-times
to be respected for all variations. CITADIS trams are built on
ALSTOM sites in Aytré/La Rochelle, Barcelona and Salzgitter.
A test track with its own dedicated CITADIS tram was recently
inaugurated in La Rochelle, a joint R & D project between the
municipality and ALSTOM. It will serve as a testing area for all
CITADIS vehicles prior to delivery to customers worldwide and
will also be used in the certification of new tram technologies
such as ground-powered tram operations.

CITADIS in Melbourne 

'For Yarra trams, its a very important challenge to
increase our patronage. We have a very old, tired system in
Melbourne and we want to modernise the tram and change the image
of public transport here. We needed very smart, very chic trams
and we are very excited to receive these modern and beautiful
vehicles. Our vision for Melbourne is a fully integrated
passenger transport system connecting the local communities in
which we operate; providing an attractive, reliable and
comfortable service that is accessible for all.' Hubert
Guyot, Chief Executive Officer, Yarra Trams

The first four new vehicles for Melbourne were inaugurated
on12 October 2001 in the presence of the citys mayor,
following delivery, local finishing and commissioning.

• These bi-directional vehicles are 22.5 m long, 2.65 m wide
  and feature full-low floor. Passenger capacity is 145,
  including 40 seats and 2 wheelchair spaces. The vehicles are
  fully motorized, with an air-conditioning system of 47 kW,
  especially adapted to suit Melbournes climate.

• The livery image and colors refer to the Yarra Trams logo,
  and the new trams light gray bodyshell color and
  interior color scheme are identical to that of the refurbished
  Yarra tram fleet.

• ALSTOM is also responsible for maintaining the new fleet
  over 15 years.

Press Information
Ruth Pavans, +33 (0) 1 47 55 27 87

ruth.pavans@transport.alstom.com 

• To visit the Yarra trams website