Unveiled: New tram designed exclusively for Zurich

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Photo: Bombardier.
Photo: Bombardier.
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Bombardier and Zurich public transport agency Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ) have presented a new tram design at a press event in Switzerland’s largest city.

With the train maker’s president Laurent Troger in attendance, Bombardier showed special guests around a mock-up based on its Flexity platform, which has been exclusively designed to meet Zurich’s needs and landscape.

The unique tram design features an energy efficient HVAC heat pump, a driver’s assistance system to improve safety, USB charging points, “elegant and hygienic” wooden seats as well as plenty of space to boost capacity.


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The "elegant and hygienic" wooden seats. Photo: Bombardier.
The “elegant and hygienic” wooden seats. Photo: Bombardier.

VBZ director Guido Schoch said that it was looking for a cost-effective solution that still delivers a premium travel experience for the new trams.

The unveiling of the new tram design follows the award of a €281 million contract to Bombardier for the delivery of 70 seven-part low-floor trams in March, 2017. This deal included the option for an additional 70 vehicles.

The first tram is expected to be delivered at the end of 2019 and enter service from May 2020.

The VBZ workshop team fabricated a mock-up of the Bombardier FLEXITY tram model. Photo: Bombardier
The VBZ workshop team fabricated a mock-up of the Bombardier FLEXITY tram model. Photo: Bombardier

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