Bombardier demos streetcars for Vancouver

[IMAGE]610-FLEXITY-Outlook-Brussel-HRFull-1.jpg[/IMAGE] Bombardier Transportation and Brussels Public Transport Company STIB (Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles) are teaming up with Vancouver, British Columbia, to prepare for a streetcar demonstration project that will help the city provide public transit service during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

STIB and Bombardier are collaborating with Vancouver to ship two of STIB’s 100 percent low-floor Flexity trams to the city by sea in late 2009. In Vancouver, the vehicles will operate seven days a week on the demonstration line between January 21 and March 21, 2010, near Vancouver’s Olympic and Paralympic Village. The streetcars will run on an existing track the city is now upgrading to accommodate both the project and a possible future streetcar line. The line will be operated and maintained by Bombardier as a unique service for the city.

STIB’s 68 Flexity vehicles operate on significant parts of the Brussels 331-mile public transport network that serves more than 286 million riders each year. To further enhance its network, STIB commissioned an additional 102 bi-directional Flexity trams, including a firm order for 87 vehicles in January 2008. The new Flexity vehicles support the city’s efforts to curb traffic congestion and reduce CO₂ emissions.