Bombardier wins Manchester, England contract

Bombardier Transportation and its consortium partner Vossloh Kiepe signed an option to supply an additional 14 Bombardier Flexity Swift light rail vehicles to Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive's (GMPTE) Metrolink system.

The option forms part of the contract signed with GMPTE in April 2007 and is valued at $43 million, with Bombardier's share amounting to approximately $32 million.

Bombardier received its first order from GMPTE in April 2007 for 12 trams and this contract included an option for GMPTE to order up to 97 vehicles. The first option order for a further 28 light rail vehicles followed in June 2008, with a second option for eight vehicles announced in March 2010. This recent order for 14 vehicles brings the total number of trams ordered from the consortium for Manchester to date up to 62 light rail vehicles.

The manufacture of these vehicles will follow straight on from the ones currently being built for Manchester and the first of these additional 14 vehicles (tram 49) is scheduled to be delivered to Manchester in October 2011.

As consortium leader, Bombardier designs and manufactures the vehicles at its sites in Bautzen, Germany and Vienna, Austria. Bombardier's Siegen plant is responsible for delivering the bogies and the consortium partner Vossloh Kiepe is providing the electrical equipment.