The first in the Flexity Basle series will be delivered in 2013, in time for the opening of the extension of Line 8 to Weil-am-Rhein, Germany. Two units a month will subsequently be delivered from 2014.
BVB originally planned to place a joint order for Stadler Tango trams with Basleland Transport (BLT), which operate light rail services in the Basle area. However, BVB changed its policy and announced in May 2010 that it would issue an independent tender. The other two contenders for the contract were Siemens with its Combino, which won the previous contract, and Stadler with its Tango.
In the meantime, BLT has started taking delivery of its second batch of Tango trams, consisting of 15 units for delivery by May 2012.
In response to the award of the contract to Bombardier, Stadler said that its efforts were hindered by the strength of the Swiss Franc, which meant that its Eurozone-based rivals were able to offer their LRVs at a significantly lower price.