The contract is valued at SFr 300m ($US 296m), and the first LRV will be delivered at the end of 2019.

Bombardier says the trams are customised to integrate with the Zürich city landscape and they meet standards for safety, environment and energy consumption. The trams are designed to reduce noise and offer barrier-free access to passengers with limited mobility.

The LRVs have an open design to improve passenger flow and increase capacity by around 20%.

“All of the Flexity components have been intelligently integrated and reflect the latest technological developments to reduce overall operating costs,” says Dr Guido Schoch, director of VBZ. “Likewise, our passengers will also benefit greatly from the exceptional safety and ergonomics that these modern trams offer.”

The Zürich tram service operates on 15 lines and over 170km of track.

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