Last Saturday, public transport company De Lijn inaugurated its first new trams in Deurne (Antwerp, Belgium). From Monday, January 30th, the so-called ‘city liner’ (‘stadslijner’, in Dutch) will be used for the first time on line 10, connecting Wijnegem and Schoonselhof.

The new trams are 30 meters long and can transport up to 187 passengers. The vehicles represent an investment of 136 million euros. De Lijn ordered 58 vehicles, of which the first 24 were delivered. The remaining 34 will be operational by 2024.

Made by Spanish CAF

The majority of the new vehicles (40 trams) will be one-directional; 18 will be bidirectional. The latter are more expensive but also more versatile and maneuverable. The vehicles are made by Spanish tram manufacturer CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles).

The new trams will replace the old PCC trams from the sixties and seventies, although not all old vehicles will disappear. They have a low floor to make boarding easier and more comfortable than the existing models.

‘Comfortable and customer-friendly’

“This is an important project,” Flemish Minister for Mobility, Lydia Peeters (Open Vld), said during the inauguration. “We want more people to opt for public transport, so we have to make sure it is comfortable and customer-friendly.” Peeters also said that work is being done on eliminating the maintenance backlog at De Lijn, on extra staff, better software, and services.

The Antwerp city council, which is often quite critical about the state of affairs at De Lijn, welcomes the new trams. According to Antwerp Alderman for Mobility, Koen Kennis (N-VA), the new trams will increase the ease of use for passengers, and provide more space during rush hours.