On 21st of June 2018, the agreement between Skånetrafiken in Lund, Sweden and the Spanish company CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles) was signed on the seven trams that will traverse the Light Rail tram route between Lund C and Science Village aka ESS. Distrita wrote about the launch of the Light Rail tram constructions here. The trams will have modern function and design, with a high focus on accessibility for all types of people. The agreement is a comprehensive commitment to delivery of trams and maintenance for ten years. Lund will become Sweden’s fourth city to get a tram network after Gothenburg, Stockholm and Norrköping once its tram line starts to operate.
Lund Central Station area in Lund will change a lot
The development of the route between Lund C and ESS, this New tramway enables extensive urban development in the area between Lund Central Station and the future district of Brunnshög. The line will be 5.5 km long, with 9 stops, where Lund C and Skånes University Hospital are some of Skåne’s largest public transport routes. The tram traffic in Lund is planned to be operational summer 2020.
“It’s gratifying to be a natural part of innovative Lund. It will be densified, renewed and expanded along the track, and in the long term another 50,000 people will live or work in the strait. Therefore, it is wise to outsource the public transport first, and then to the homes. So we make public transport attractive. Now we take the next step in the agreement with CAF and the new trams and I look forward to the new cooperation, “says Linus Eriksson, traffic director, Skånetrafiken
Beautiful Tram design for Lund Light Rail Tram Route by CAF
In the chosen Light Rail tram design, Skånetrafiken has determined accessibility and function. Therefore, the whole tram has a so-called low floor without level differences inside the tram. There will be plenty of space for prams and wheelchairs. Four seats are dedicated to wheelchairs in the direction of travel. There will be on and off at all doors and WiFi will also be available both in the trams and at the stops.
“We are very pleased to have received Skånetrafik’s confidence in establishing the first tram system in Skåne. CAF is looking forward to working together with Skånetrafiken and will take a great deal of involvement in the transformation of public transport in Lund, says Iker Etxetxikia Etxebeste, Area Manager, International Division
CAF has previous and ongoing deliveries to Sweden and is well aware of requirements for climate, work environment, vehicle approval and documentation. The Light Rail tram is based on CAF’s standard platform Urbos 100.
From the manufacture site with relevant info about Urbos 100 type
With its 100% low floor in the entire passenger saloon, the Urbos 100 is a solution that guarantees ease of access for all types of passengers. The Urbos comprises 5-car sets on 3 bogies, although 3-car up to 9-car versions are also available.
3 cars: Total capacity*: 129
5 cars: Total capacity*: 221
7 cars: Total capacity*: 306
9 cars: Total capacity*: 397
In the information from Skånetrafiken, there is no info about how long the trams will be. But you can easy see that even the 3 cars outperforms easily a bus already. The 5 cars version is a nice version for when people will goto work in the mornings and back to work in the evenings. The longer trams are in the peak hours, the better it is and they are able to handle peak hours much better than buses for sure. When traveling in peak hours, people love to have some space.
Here is all the FACTS about the Light Rail Trams that will run in Lund, Sweden
Tram Lund C – ESS receives seven tramways with a length of approximately 33 meters. All of the trams has six doors on each side, of which four double doors and two single doors. In total, the tram seats about 200 travelers, of which 40 are seated.
Some interesting facts about Light Rail Trams in Lund
- One Tram in Lund has the same capacity as four regular city buses
- Tile floors throughout the tram that make it easy to move inside the tram
- The tram has low entrance height and stays close to the platform, making it easy to board and get off
- Boarding and unloading in all doors
- Four wheelchair places in the direction of travel per vehicle
- The good accessibility of trams is a great advantage for anyone traveling to and from the University Hospital.
- The trams are powered by green electricity and have technology for recycling braking energy.
- The trams will have the best design on the market to minimize electromagnetic fields at reasonable cost and taking into account the safety.
- External design and design language will be in accordance with Skånetrafikens brand and design guidelines.
- USB sockets for charging
Facts about the Public Transportation route of Tram Line 1 in Lund
- The line is 5.5 km long with 9 stops
- Driving from Lund C to Science Village aka ESS with the trams takes 14.5 minutes
- Average speed 21.5km/h.
- The trams will operate every day between 05-24, Friday and Saturday night until 02.00.
On departure (weekdays rush hours between 06-09 and 14-18) a departure is scheduled every 7-8 minutes
Other times run a turn at least every 20 minutes.
It is really great to see Lund in Sweden becoming the fourth city in the country to invest in a tram system. Thats pretty awesome, since Malmö which is a much larger city just nearby got no plans for a tram network it seems. Maybe Skånetrafikken can extend this network in Lund to Malmö in the future? Trams are the most environment friendly transport options in the world today. So to see this town building a nice future from 2020 is fantastic.
The fact that people will be able to go with a pollution free transport option between the central train station of Lund to Science Village aka ESS is a huge step in the right direction.
Distrita will follow this construction close until its opened for the public in 2020. Lund will for sure become a much nicer city with the introduction of their Light Rail Tram system.
Source: sparvaglund.com, lunds kommun info on email – Photosource: sparvaglund.com, caf
