Socimi Eurotram


The Socimi Eurotram was an electric tramcar designed for the tram system of Compagnie de Transports Strasbourgeois. Initially produced by Socimi, after the company became bankrupt Eurotrams were manufactured first by ABB Group's transportation division, then by ADtranz and finally by Bombardier Transportation, who marketed the tram as part of their Flexity Outlook range.
Eurotrams have been used on the Strasbourg tramway, the Azienda Trasporti Milanesi, and on the Porto Metro.

History and design

The Eurotram light rail vehicles was originally designed for the Compagnie des Transports Strasbourgeois specifically for use on the Strasbourg tramway; design requirements included a 100% low floor design, airconditioning, and a higher than usual power to weight ratio for the 8% gradients in the tunnel under Strasbourg's main station. The appearance was stylised by Belgian designer Philippe Neerman.
Tenders for manufacture of the tram led to contracts with ABB Group and SOCIMI ; SOCIMI subsequently became bankrupt and ABB completed production alone, on the basis of SOCIMI's prototypes; the trams were manufactured at ABB's Holgate works, York and Litchurch lane works, Derby in the UK, with some parts from ABB Trazione.
The tram design was modular, consisting cabs, passenger units, and articulation sections. The initial Strasbourg vehicles used seven modules: two cabs, three passenger units and two articulation sections, for a train length of Each train has a mixture of powered and unpowered bogies; the bogie design used independently rotating wheels, each on a stub axle, the primary suspension was of the radial arm type, and the secondary suspension air spring type. Each wheel of a powered bogie was separately powered by bogie mounted three phase asynchronous motors, connected via a gearbox, with the wheel and motor axises of rotation parallel.
The maximum capacity of the Strasbourg seven module trams was 285 with 66 seated, the nine-module trams had an increased capacity of 370 passengers, with 92 seated. Total installed traction power was

Orders

Twenty-six 33.1m Eurotrams were delivered to CTS for service on Strasbourg's line A between 1994 and 1995. CTS placed a second order in 1996 for twenty-seven units, nine of which were 7 module trains, and eighteen were 9 module trains.
The Milan tram system acquired 20 units from Adtranz.
72 units were built for the Porto tram network were constructed from 2004 at Bombardier's factory in Amadora Portugal.
Over 150 units were built between 1994 and 2004.