Designs revealed for new Nottingham trams

As expected it has been confirmed that the fleet of new trams for the extended Nottingham Express Transit system will be constructed by Alstom – part of the Tramlink Nottingham consortium – in Barcelona. The trams will be first Citadis vehicles to be constructed for the UK although there are many of these in operation across Europe – particularly in
France where they have a near monopoly – including Dublin’s Luas system.

22 Citadis trams will be built in Barcelona with construction due to commence this summer before they enter service on the current network in two years time. Of course these extra trams are needed to operate on the extended network which will reach Beeston, Chilwell and Clifton by the end of 2014. Phase Two works commenced at the start
of this year and will be continuing over the next few weeks. As previously reported major works are currently underway at Nottingham railway station to construct a new viaduct over the station to carry the new lines.

The current fleet of Bombardier Incentro trams will also be retained on the expanded system which will give Nottingham Express Transit a fleet total of 37. It is expected that all trams will be able to operate on all routes. It is planned that from the end of 2014 there will be two routes on NET: Phoenix Park-Clifton and Hucknall-Chilwell.

Cllr Jane Urquhart, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Transportation at Nottingham City Council, said: “We are delighted with the iconic design of the new trams, they are very much in keeping with NET’s strong visual identity and the Council’s vision for a world-class tram network. Once completed, the expanded network will carry more than double the number of passengers per year than the current system on a more frequent service. It will be one of the most modern fleets in the country and something in which the city can take great pride. 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.”

The artists impressions released this week of the new design apparently show that there is  a finely contoured streamlined silhouette of the vehicle with light, airy and contemporary interiors. Care has also been taken to ensure that the layout  and interior systems correspond to those of the Bombardier trams. The images also show a slightly revised livery style applied to the trams with less black and more silver applied although it is too early at this stage to say whether this will be the livery actually applied to the finished article. The artists impressions can be found at http://gossweb.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/gallery/net-PICS/index.html.