The first of the 18 vehicles ordered by Metro do Porto from the Chinese manufacturer CRRC Tangshan arrived in Leixões yesterday and are already in the Guifões workshops. However, there is still no date for it to start trading.
The remaining compositions will arrive over the next year at an average of one to two per month. They will reinforce all metro lines and new ones that are under construction. However, there is no exact date for the entry into operation of these new vehicles.
The first car received is a “cousin” of the two models in circulation, but inside it “gives passengers the feeling of more interior space”. It arrived in two parts and will now have to be assembled and finished. A Metro source also informed that in the meantime, training will be given to the drivers and only then will the trains be tested. “They will enhance operations on all metro lines, as well as lines under construction and network expansion,” the company adds. An important addition to the metro fleet, which will move from 102 trains to 120 trains.
Each of these new trains will have 72 carriages, a maximum capacity of 346 passengers and a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour. CT (short for CRRC Tram), as these vehicles are called, “stands out for a modern design in which gray color prevails, large dynamic lines and modernity are joined.” The new units “also stand out for their aerodynamic shapes and accessibility”. In this regard, “the seven double doors on each side constitute a major advance”, especially if the six doors of the Eurotram are taken into account (the first car to arrive in Porto in May 2001, a year before the opening of the Blue Line) and the four doors on each side of the Tram (operating since 2010 on the red and green lines).
It should be noted that these 18 new light-rail vehicles, contracted to Chinese manufacturer CRRC Tangshan, represent an investment of 49.6 million euros. Founded in 1881, the Chinese company has a long history of producing locomotives, high-speed trains and subway cars. It is the world’s largest manufacturer of railway stock, headquartered in Beijing and employing more than 180,000 workers.
The company is currently in the process of bidding for the acquisition of 117 railcars for regional and suburban services to CP – Comboios de Portugal, with a base price of €819 million, with materials to be delivered by 2029.
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