FRANKFURT Transport (VGF) has signed a contract worth around €100m with Alstom for the supply of 38 Citadis trams with special adaptations for the German market, including an option for 15 additional vehicles.

Alstom will also provide training, repair equipment and warranty services. The first two vehicles will be delivered in 2020 and will run throughout the city’s entire tram network.
Alstom says the new trams will help with the mobility of Frankfurt’s growing population, with demographic forecasts indicating central Frankfurt will have a population of nearly 825,000 within its administrative boundaries by 2020 and up to 2.5 million residents living in its greater urban area.

The Citadis for Frankfurt is a 100% low-floor vehicle with LED lighting, individual seats and travel information on large screens. It will be equipped with driver assistance systems, automatic dipped beam headlights, and rain sensors. The three-section tram will be 31.5m-long with a maximum capacity of 197 passengers.

Special adaptations for the German market include four pivoting bogies to allow maximum vehicular flexibility, and steel carriages.