THE cities of Cottbus, Frankfurt an der Oder and Brandenburg in eastern Germany have placed a joint order with Czech firm Škoda for 24 new‘ForCity Plus’ metre gauge three section uni-directional trams and options for a further 21 vehicles. Including all the options the contract is worth €110 million.
Deliveries of the new trams – described as‘70%’low floor – will begin in 2023 and should be complete by 2024. Four will go to Brandenburg with an option for eight more between 2023 and 2026. Frankfurt an der Oder operator SVF has ordered 13 vehicles which will allow replacement of all its remaining 15 KT4D‘Tatra’trams, while nearby Cottbus has initially ordered seven‘ForCity Plus’with an option for up to 13 more.
These orders mean that the numbers of older‘Tatra’trams in use in Germany will decline further. Over 1750‘Tatra’type KT4D two section articulated trams were built in Prague by ČKD Tatra for East German cities between 1974 and 1997, although most were built in the 1980s. The last 20 KT4D Tatra trams in Berlin were due to be withdrawn in February but were kept in service until early May to provide extra capacity for‘social distancing’on school services in the eastern suburb of Marzahn-Hellersdorf. The last of the former Berlin vehicles have been sold to Ukrainian tram operators; many other ex- Berlin vehicles are in use across Eastern Europe.
One of the soon to be replaced Frankfurt an der Oder KT4D trams; No. 225 seen in the city centre on September 21, 2012.
KEITH
FENDER