BLT and Stadler signed a contract for the manufacture and delivery of 25 TINA trams.
The latest-generation trams will be built at the Stadler plant in Bussnang, Switzerland.
The first TINA trams will go into service when the timetable changes in December 2023.
Back in February 2021, Baselland Transport AG (BLT) announced that it had awarded the contract for the procurement of the new trams to Stadler. On signing the contract today, the order for 25 TINA trams has now been formally triggered.
The BLT Board of Directors has authorised the release of credit for the procurement of 25 new vehicles and approved the specifications in the works supply contract. Funding commitments have been obtained from the federal government and the cantons of Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt and Solothurn.
Latest-generation tram
BLT will be the first rail operator in Switzerland to use Stadler’s new TINA tram generation.
TINA is the German acronym for “total integrated low-floor drive”. Special attention was paid to passenger comfort during the development of the new model.
The fully air-conditioned vehicle has a spacious interior, large panoramic windows and an integrated passenger information system. It is low floor and accessible from the first to the last passenger door, and all 96 seats offer plenty of space to ensure foot and knee comfort. The bogies at both ends guarantee the smooth running of the vehicle whilst protecting wheels and rails. The tram will be supplied with an integrated collision warning system – as on the Waldenburg railway.
The vehicles will be pre-equipped to allow the subsequent installation of sliding steps on all double doors. Thanks to the BLT order, Stadler has now sold 50 latest-generation trams within a very short time. The Darmstadt-based tram operator HEAG mobilo ordered 14 TINA trams from Stadler in January 2020 before exercising an option for a further 11 vehicles in July 2021.
“The TINA tram was designed from scratch. The spacious interior and large panoramic windows make the innovative vehicle particularly impressive. At the same time, the completely newly designed bogies guarantee the smooth running of the vehicle as well as low wear on wheels and rails. For us, this is the ideal combination that will allow us to satisfy customer needs and economic efficiency in the best possible way,” says BLT Director Andreas Büttiker.
“BLT and Stadler enjoy a long and successful partnership. BLT already operates 38 of our TANGO trams. We are extremely proud that we are now also able to deliver 25 TINA trams to Switzerland for the first time. We would like to thank BLT for the trust they have placed in us and look forward to strengthening our long-term cooperation even further,” says Dr Ansgar Brockmeyer, Executive Vice President Marketing & Sales and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Stadler.
In operation from the 2023 timetable change
The first TINA trams will be put into service in December 2023. Additional vehicles will follow in 2024 and 2025. They will replace the current Schindler trams, which are over 40 years old.
(Stadler)
