The Bremen Senate has approved €210 million to purchase 67 new low-floor trams.
Procurement of the the new vehicles will begin early next year, with a prototype model expected in 2018 and delivery of production vehicles slated for the following year.
The senate has approved a total of €602.3 million to fund not only the new trams but infrastrucuture works at BSAG’s depots in Neustadt, Sebaldsbrück, Gröpelingen and Neue Vahr and the maintenance of the existing fleet.
Bremen was the first city in the world to operate low-floor trams following the introduction of its GT8N vehicles in the mid-90s, but the senate says that they have reached the end of their service life and are currently doing well in excess of their average annual mileage.
The announcement also indicated that 10 of the current fleet would be overhauled at BSAG’s Sebaldsbrück depot over the course of the next five years.