The nine-station line runs from Estacíon Oriente in the east to San Antonio station in the city centre where it connects with the city's existing metro lines A and B. It is scheduled to partially open in October and will be served by a fleet of 12 Translohr STE5 rubber-tyred trams, which were ordered from the NTL consortium comprising Alstom (51%) and BPI France (49%) in a €42.3m contract signed in 2012.
The trams are fitted with additional motors which combined with the extra adhesion provided by the rubber tyres, allow the vehicles to navigate the Ayacucho line's 12% gradients. The 39m-long vehicles feature a clearance gauge of 5.18m and a turning radius of 10.5m, and are expected to transport up to 85,000 passengers per day.
Alstom has also supplied power supply for the project as part of the UT Alstom-Sytesca consortium. Alstom was responsible for project management, engineering, procurement, testing and commissioning of the medium voltage network, and substations.
