The first of 22 Alstom Citadis trams for Nottingham Express Transit is set to be unveiled to the world during a special ceremony at Wilkinson Street depot. NET are obviously not superstitious as they are to hold this event on Friday 13th September! The Citadis tram – expected to be numbered 216 – is due to arrive at Wilkinson Street during the night of Tuesday 10th September following a journey by road, sea and road from the Alstom factory in Barcelona.
Phil Hewitt, Chief Executive of NET concessionaire, Tramlink Nottingham, said: “It is a major milestone in the ongoing network expansion project. When the new trams start to appear on Line One next year it will provide our existing customers with a real taste of what’s to come as we move towards an even brighter future for the network.”
22 of the Alstom Citadis trams are being built for the major expansion of Nottingham Express Transit which will see Beeston, Chilwell and Clifton join the network. These lines are currently under construction and are due to open to the public in 2014. The Citadis trams will work alongside the Bombardier Incentros to operate service across both phase 1 and 2 of the system.
Cllr Jane Urquhart, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Transport at Nottingham City Council, said: “We are delighted with the iconic design and look of the new trams, they are very much in keeping with our strong visual identity and the Council’s vision for a world-class tram network. The Council obviously wants the best for Nottingham and the vehicles are based on Alstom’s hugely successful Citadis range which is already used on leading tram networks in many parts of the world.”
Nottingham Express Transit will become the first tram network in the UK to take delivery of the Alstom Citadis tram but it is already used extensively around the world including Paris, Dublin, Madrid, Istanbul and Melbourne. As Terence Watson, Alstom UK President, said: “We’re delighted to be bringing our Citadis design to the UK for the first time and especially pleased that we’re able to do that in Nottingham where we’re also hard at work building the new tram lines for the city. The vehicles will have a distinctive look while also blending in with the existing fleet and I’m sure they’ll be a welcome sight to Nottingham’s commuters as they enjoy the opportunity to travel to work and back home on new lines and in new vehicles.”
* Three pairs of tickets are up for grabs for the official launch in a special competition for local residents and regular travellers on Nottingham Express Transit. To enter the competition shoppers need to fill in a form at participating stores and tram customers can enter online at http://www.thetram.net/goldenticket. The competition is open until 9th September in shops and 11th September online with the three lucky winners being informed on 12th September.