OREANDA-NEWS. The first Citadis tram for Cuenca has left Alstom’s factory at La Rochelle and is being shipped to Ecuador. On 17 May it is scheduled to leave the port of Antwerp towards its final destination where it is expected to arrive by end of June.  The 13 remaining tram units are currently being manufactured at the Alstom site in La Rochelle. The last tram is expected to be completed by October 2015 with entry into commercial service scheduled for 2016.

In 2013, the city of Cuenca chose the consortium CITA Cuenca (CIM, Ineo, TSO and Alstom), led by Alstom, for the supply of an integrated electromechanical tramway system. Alstom’s share also includes electrification, power supply and systems integration.

Ecuador’s first tramway network spans 10 km and includes 27 stations, crossing the historic centre of the city over a stretch of 2 km. Cuenca, a listed UNESCO world heritage site, is Ecuador’s third biggest city and has opted for Alstom’s APS1 technology to preserve its architectural heritage. Cuenca will be the first city on the American continent to benefit from a catenaryless tramway system, already in operation in a number of cities worldwide, such as Bordeaux, Reims, Angers and Dubai.

The Citadis trams of Cuenca are nearly 33 metres long and can transport around 300 passengers. They are equipped with fully low floors and wide doors, guaranteeing perfect accessibility, notably for passengers with reduced mobility.

Other Alstom sites in France are participating in this project: Ornans for the motors, Le Creusot for the bogies, Villeurbanne for the electric traction systems, IT control system, passenger information system and onboard equipment, and Tarbes for the modules and circuit breaker cabinets. To date, over 1,900 Citadis have been ordered by 49 cities worldwide.