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Zürich Cobra order confirmed: Bombardier Transportation in association with Alstom will supply a further 68 Cobra trams to Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich, the transport authority of the city of Zürich. Following the thorough testing of six preproduction trial vehicles delivered in 2001, the Zürich Cobra fleet will increase to 74 vehicles. The new order for 68 trams is valued at approximately CAD239 million (233 million Swiss Francs), of which Bombardier's share of the contract amounts to some CAD194 million (190 million Swiss Francs). The vehicles are scheduled for delivery as of mid-2005.

As the leading partner in the consortium, Bombardier Transportation is responsible for the car body, propulsion system, assembly and commissioning of the vehicles, with Alstom supplying the running gear and brake system.

The five-car articulated, full low-floor tram has been developed to comply with the requirements specified by the customer for the city of Zürich. This has required a maximum length of 37 metres. In order to provide a high passenger carrying capacity despite this limitation, the car body width has been extended 20 centimetres compared with the trams currently operating in Zürich. Seven wide doors with a passenger boarding height of just 35 centimetres allow rapid boarding and alighting.

The Cobra features on the front cover of the October issue of Tramways & Urban Transit

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