BKK Centre for Budapest Transport’s first CAF tram has already arrived to Budapest and the necessary test runs will be performed in the near future. Later in 2015 and 2016 another 46 low-floor CAF trams are expected to be delivered from Spain. The trams are made in Zaragoza and Beasain, Basque Country.

The ordered CAF fleet includes 35 shorter and 12 longer versions of the trams. Following the prescribed test runs and brake tests the first CAF trams will enter passenger service from the autumn of 2015.The shorter, 34-metre-long trams will serve line 3 in Pest and later on lines 19 and 61 of the interconnected tram network in Buda. The longer, 56-metre-long trams will appear on line 1, however, the first line where passengers will get a chance to try out the brand new CAF trams will be recently refurbished line 3 serving four districts in Budapest. The CAF trams are fully low-floor, air-conditioned and equipped with onboard cameras and GPS-based passenger information systems. An advantageous feature of the technical design is that there are no seats located on top of wheel-boxes inside the passenger cabin.  The shorter version can carry a total 200 passengers, 46 seated. The longer CAF trams are suitable for 345 passengers with 81 seats. The contract includes an option for a further 77 CAF trams for the Hungarian capital until 2020. The optional vehicles can be shorter or longer depending on the decision of BKK, the integrated transport organiser.

(Photo: BKK Centre for Budapest Transport/David Nyitrai)