Information contained in this news release is current as of the date of the press announcement, but may be subject to change without prior notice.
May 15, 2020
The first 30 trams to be delivered starting from autumn 2021
Replacement of indoor air and two 2 areas for people with reduced mobility among the main features of the new vehicles. The livery will have the colours of Turin, in consistency with the one of the buses already circulating.
Turin, 15th May 2020 --- This afternoon, GTT and Hitachi Rail SpA signed the framework agreement for the production of the new trams for the City of Turin. The framework agreement includes a supply of 70 new trams. The contract has been split into two tranches: the first one includes the supply of 30 vehicles for a value of 63.417 million €.
The purchase of the 30 trams, which are 28 meters long, is entirely covered by the Italian Ministry of Transport thanks to an agreement with the City of Turin and it falls within the so-called "rail cure", designed to enhance rail transport systems within large urban centers.
The new Hitachi Rail trams will be delivered starting from autumn 2021: they are produced in Hitachi Rail's plants of Naples, Pistoia and Reggio Calabria in Italy and will be delivered to Gtt within 18 months. The supply has a 4-years-and-6-months warranty.
The style and the interior design of the new trams have been designed by Giugiaro Architettura: the livery will have the two colours of the City, yellow and blue, in consistency with those of the new Gtt buses. The new trams are low-floor and shorter than the current trams. Due to an optimized arrangement of the internal spaces they will have a greater passenger capacity compared to the current ones.
The air conditioning system of the vehicles ensures air exchange with the outside, ensuring high safety standards for passengers' health and safety. These trams will be more comfortable: the large windows and the roof's transparent side areas will offer greater internal brightness and more visibility of the outside. The inside areas will offer a larger space for passengers compared to the old generation trams. People with reduced mobility will have two dedicated equipped spaces to ease access and good wheelchairs' mobility.
"From our first day of work - says Chiara Appendino, Mayor of Turin - we have considered public transport a priority for the present and the future of Turin. After a 4-year hard work with GTT and investments to relaunch this fundamental service, today we can say to make another step forward with the Hitachi trams. An important goal for an ever safer and more sustainable mobility. And, not least, an important sign of progress and vision of the future for our whole community in a time of emergency that we are living. We thank everyone who is working with us in this direction".
"For our company, this is a great news that bring us into the future - says Giovanni Foti, GTT CEO - in a complex moment in which the health emergency is asking us for an important organizational effort to contribute to the restart of our city. This is a fundamental element that will make our tram service, the basis of the public transport network, more modern, efficient and attractive for passengers. It is another step to be added to all the efforts we are making to bring passengers back on our vehicles, an essential step to guarantee the development of the service and a reduction in pollution coming from private traffic as a consequence".
"Travelling by tram in Turin - says Maurizio Manfellotto, Hitachi Rail Chairman & Legal Representative - is an eco-sustainable and effective mobility option that the city has kept alive in a very forward-looking way. The vehicles we will provide to GTT and to the city of Turin are part of the new Tram platform developed in Italy by Hitachi Rail, an evolution of the previous SIRIO model and, at the same time, a synthesis of new technologies and ever higher performances in terms of safety, sustainability, comfort and travel experience for passengers".