The Rheinbahn order for 42 vehicles is worth €127m and includes an option for 16 additional LRVs, while KVB has ordered 20 units at a cost of €64m.
Both the Rheinbahn and KVB vehicles will be 28m long and 2.65m wide. The LRVs for Düsseldorf will be delivered in 2017-20 and will enable the withdrawal of Düwag/Kiepe GT8SU trams, which date from the 1970s. The KVB Flexitys will be delivered in 2020-21, replacing Cologne's ageing Type B Stadtbahn vehicles.
The joint procurement was delayed due to an appeal by a Siemens-Kiepe consortium, which was subsequently withdrawn.
The LRVs will be assembled at Bombardier's Bautzen plant in eastern Germany with bogies coming from the company's Siegen facility.
"We are very pleased with the outcome of this successful joint procurement for rail vehicles," says Mr Dirk Biesenbach, CEO of Rheinbahn. "Through this very important project we have been able to realise substantial savings."
