Alstom and NTL have started testing the first tram on the tracks of the Ayacucho tramway line in Medellin, Colombia.
Medellín Metro will be responsible for operating the trams on the 4.3km-long line, which connects the city’s metro lines A and B and two new metrocable lines.
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The nine-station line is scheduled to be partially open by October and is expected to reach 85,000 passengers a day.
The line will be served by a fleet of 12 Translohr STE5 trams, which were ordered from the NTL consortium comprising Alstom (51%) and BPI France (49%) in a €42.3m contract signed in 2012.
The 39m-long NTL trams, which feature a clearance gauge of 5.18m and a turning radius of 10.5m, can easily run on gradients of up to 13%, particularly relevant for the Ayacucho line, which includes slopes with gradients of 12%.
Alstom has also provided power supply for the project as part of the UT Alstom-Sytesca consortium.
The company was responsible for project management, engineering, procurement, testing and commissioning of the medium-voltage network and substations.
Alstom develops solutions suited to all urban environments, meeting the different expectations of passengers and cities.
A provider of new solutions for the public transport sector, NTL designs and manufactures the Translohr tramways on tyres.
Image: NTL/Tramways on tyres at the depot in Medellin, Columbia. Photo: courtesy of NTL/Alstom.
