BLT Contract For 25 TINA Trams
posted on 12th Nov 2021 22:50
On 12 November 2021, Baselland Transport (BLT) and Stadler signed a contract for delivery of 25 latest-generation TINA trams. They will be built at the Bussnang works - the first TINAs are scheduled to start regular service in December 2023, the remainder will follow in 2024 and 2025, replacing the Schindler trams, which are over 40 years old.
Back in February 2021, BLT announced that it had awarded the contract for the procurement of the new trams to Stadler. On signing the contract now, the order has been formally triggered. The BLT Board of Directors has authorised the release of credit for the procurement of 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.
BLT will be the first operator in Switzerland to use TINA generation, which is the German acronym for „Total Integrierter Niederflur-Antrieb“ (i. e. 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 reducing wear and tear of wheels and rails. The trams will be supplied with an integrated collision warning system (like on the Waldenburg railway). The vehicles will be pre-equipped to allow the subsequent installation of sliding steps on all double doors. The 600 V DC trams have a maximum speed of 80 km/h, a length of 45.5 m and a width of 2.3 m.
Thanks to the BLT order, Stadler has now sold 50 TINA trams within a very short time. The Darmstadt-based tram operator HEAG mobilo ordered 14 TINAs in January 2020 before exercising an option for a further 11 vehicles in July 2021.