Solaris to build 40 low-floor trams for Poznań

Solaris has won a tender to supply 40 low-floor trams to Poznań Municipal Transport Company. The new trams will be delivered in time for the 2012 European Football Championship, in which Poznań is a host city.

The 40 new Solaris trams for Poznań Municpial Transport Company (MPK) will be 100% low floor and will be designated Solaris Tramino LF 32. The five-section, uni-directional trams will be 31.96 m long and 2.40 m wide.

The Solaris Tramino vehicles for Poznań will be air-conditioned and will have a capacity of 229 passengers. To enable short stop dwell times, six doors are provided: four 1500 mm wide double doors and two 750 mm wide single doors. The entrance height will be 350 mm above top of rail. Each vehicle will have three traditional wheel-set bogies, two of which will be powered. In total, there will be four 105 kW engines, each with its own static inverter.

"The Solaris Tramino trams for Poznań will combine stylish design with latest technology. The citizens of Poznań will benefit from highest standards of quality and are sure to appreciate the excellent ride comfort of the Tramino", explained Solaris founder Krzysztof Olszewski.

According to the terms of contract, the first of the new low-floor trams for Poznań will be delivered in June 2011, with the remaining vehicles following by March 2012. Poznań is a host city in the 2012 European Football Championships and all new trams will be in service in time for this event.

The contract between Solaris and Poznań MPK was signed in the pre-production Solaris Tramino which was first presented at TRAKO International Railway Fair in Gdańsk in October 2009. It has since arrived in Poznań for testing. "Over the coming months, we will put this first Tramino through its paces so that no teething troubles should remain by the time we start serial production", said Krzysztof Olszewski.

The order has a gross value of 342 million PLN (82.4 million EUR). Apart from the 40 trams themselves, it also includes technical equipment for the depot that will cater for the vehicles as well as service contracts. Solaris provides a five-year warranty on all components as well as a 14-year warranty on body durability.

Solaris is looking for potential local partners for the production of the Solaris Tramino trams for Poznań. "Currently, talks with Modertrans of Poznań about a possible cooperation are well advanced", commented Solaris CEO Solange Olszewska.

Solaris has previously proven its expertise in the production of diesel and hybrid buses as well as trolleybuses. Almost 6,000 Solaris buses are in operation in 20 countries. Experience in tram building has been gained as part of a consortium building trams for Cracow and Gdańsk. "Our company story is about to come full circle. 13 years ago an order for 72 buses for Poznań MPK was the catalyst to set up our bus production facilities. With the same partner, we will now start a new chapter of our success story", enthused Solange Olszewska.