So far, 41 Flexities have been delivered to Wiener Linien, but actually it should have been almost 70. According to the contract, there should be a total of 119 trains by the end of 2025. So there are still 78 pieces missing.
The delivery delays are also felt by the passengers. Because the new Flexitys replace the old E2 trams. Due to the delivery delays, the old, non-accessible pumice stones remain in use for longer. This particularly affects parents with prams or people with walking disabilities.
“Deliver up to three vehicles per month”
According to the manufacturer Alstom Austria, which manufactures the trains in the city on the Danube, interrupted supply chains due to the corona virus crisis and a lack of steel due to the Ukraine war and the sanctions once morest Russia have caused the delivery problems.
But that has now improved and the delivery delays have been gotten under control, they are even catching up, said Alstom Austria Managing Director Jörg Nikutta. The manufacturer, which belongs to the Alstom Group and took over Bombardier at the beginning of 2021, has agreed on a catch-up plan with Wiener Linien.
Waiting for new trams
Deliveries of the Flexitiy, the latest generation of trams, have been severely delayed. Manufacturer Alstom has now agreed a catch-up plan with Wiener Linien.
“Last year we also took on an additional 100 colleagues at the Vienna location. We are investing large amounts here at the site to create even more capacity. And since late summer, early autumn, we have actually been delivering up to three vehicles a month,” Nikutta told “Vienna Today”.
“Financially not an easy project”
The 119 agreed trains might be delivered to Wiener Linien by the end of 2025. However, there are still factors of uncertainty, it is not yet like “before Corona”. One is just “dependent on suppliers. And yes, there are issues where we don’t have as many chips in stock as we would like,” said Nikutta.
Order worth 562 million euros
Wiener Linien has ordered a total of 119 Flexities for a total of EUR 562 million including a maintenance contract.
In addition, the manufacturer also feels the price increase. The energy costs at the Vienna location have risen, as have the purchase prices. And because of the previous delivery delays, there are also penalties to Wiener Linien. Managing Director Nikutta answers whether Alstom is going to be in the black with the Flexity order: “Financially, this is not an easy project for us”.
In any case, Wiener Linien assumes that the catch-up plan will succeed. “A total of 119 vehicles will be delivered by the end of 2025. Both Alstom and Wiener Linien assume that this will hold. In the coming years, around 30 vehicles are to be delivered annually,” the press office said. In any case, train number 42 should go to Wiener Linien by the end of this week, according to Alstom.
Recently also on route 60
The first Flexity went into operation in 2018. The trains with a boarding height of 215 millimeters are now in use on lines 6, 11, 18 and 71. And since January 9, four of the new trains have also been running on route 60 between Westbahnhof and Rodaun.
