Bombardier to Supply 40 Trams to Belgian Transport Agency De Lijn

Bombardier Transportation has won an order to supply 40 additional Bombardier Flexity 2 trams to the Flemish transport operator De Lijn for the Belgian cities of Ghent and Antwerp. This order is an option included in an initial contract signed in September 2012 and is valued at approximately €97 million ($107 million US). The order increases De Lijn's fleet of Flexity 2 trams from 48 to 88.

De Lijn announced their decision to order the additional trams at a public ceremony celebrating the official inauguration of new Flexity 2 trams in the city of Ghent on May 11. Not only will the new trams replace an aging fleet, but at nearly 43 meters long they can carry up to 40 percent more passengers than their predecessors. The low-floor vehicles are equipped with multi-purpose areas for those traveling with reduced mobility and storage space for bicycles and prams.

Roger Kesteloot, general director, De Lijn, said, "We are happy to be able to provide these two Flemish cities with a much-needed capacity increase with this order. The initial reaction to "Albatros"- the name that our passengers chose for the Flexity 2 trams - in Ghent has been very positive. We are looking forward with anticipation to the deliveries of the 40 additional trams."

De Lijn and Bombardier have a long-standing partnership, not only for the supply of newly built trams, but also for structural revisions, refurbishment and crash repairs on De Lijn's existing fleet. Bombardier is also a partner in the EVTecLab field trial project where De Lijn will operate three electric buses equipped with Bombardier Primove technology for inductive charging in the city of Bruges.

Ghent will receive 16 bi-directional, seven-module vehicles with a length of approximately 43 meters and able to accommodate up to 378 passengers. Antwerp will receive 24 mono-directional trams. Fourteen of these will be seven-module vehicles with a length of approximately 43 meter and a capacity for 380 passengers. This is in addition to another ten, five-module vehicles with a length of approximately 31 meters and a capacity of up to 266 passengers.