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Budapest Boosts Public Transport with 31 New Urbos Trams from CAF

Budapest Boosts Public Transport with 31 New Urbos Trams from CAF
photo: BKK/Budapest Boosts Public Transport with 31 New Urbos Trams from CAF
23 / 03 / 2023

The Budapest transport company Budapesti Közlekedési Központ (BKK) ordered 31 Urbos-type trams from CAF, which are light, rail-based, low-floor vehicles that are user-friendly for people with reduced mobility, wheelchairs, but also sports strollers. The purchase of trams was part of the framework contract that BKK signed in 2014 for the delivery of 37 vehicles with the option of extending the order.

Of the most recently purchased trams, 26 are 5-modular, and five are 9-modular. Another 20 units are to be delivered by the summer of 2024. The operating speed of these vehicles is 50 km/h. The total capacity of five modular trams is 326 passengers, and the length of the vehicles is 34 meters. Nine modular trams have a length of 56 meters and a capacity of 562 passengers. The contract for the purchase of trams was approved by the city council, the aim of which was to expand the fleet of trams with modern, fast, and safe vehicles that would increase interest in using public transport. The purchase of new trams was co-financed by the European Union from the Cohesion Fund, from which a total of 54 billion forints were provided, which translates to EUR 144.5 million.

Currently, a third of Budapest's electric vehicle fleet consists of vehicles older than 45 years, while the planned lifespan of the vehicles is 30 years. However, more than half of urban public transport consists of low-floor vehicles. Overall, the city is trying to modernize rail transport, so in addition to buying new trams, it is also working on the reconstruction of the 17-kilometre-long Metro Line 3. The overall modernization of the railway networks in Budapest is financed by the Connecting Europe Facility 2021–2027 (CEF2).

Last year, the Hungarian government approved Budapest's railway strategy until 2024, consisting of projects worth around 10 billion euros. Their overall goal is to modernize and expand the railway network, unify the ticket sales system, and increase the transport capacity and frequency of trains.

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