40 old Gothenburg trams donated to Ukraine

The Swedish city of Göteborg (Gothenburg) has decided to donate 40 old trams to the city of Mykolaiv in the Ukraine, where the tramway system has suffered from repeated attacks by Russian drones. The 40 15m bogie trams of type M29 will be withdrawn this summer as new Alstom trams are delivered to Göteborg. 60 M29 trams were built by Hägglund in Sweden in 1969-72, but have now reached the end of their operating lives in their home town. Instead of being scrapped they will get a new life in Ukraine, where their rugged construction and good condition will be much appreciated. Transport has been arranged through the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency. 

 

Linda Rudenwall, CEO of Göteborg Spårvägar (GS), said, ‘They are symbols of Göteborg and public transport, but they no longer meet our requirements for public transportation. We send them away with both sadness and joy. The donation will save money for GS as we needed a budget of SEK 37M to have them scrapped’. 

 

Mikolaiv operates mostly Russian-built KTM5 trams built in 1969-70, with many damaged by the Russian attacks. In 2002 145 trams were in operation on 12 lines, but in 2026 just six lines were in operation with about 15 serviceable trams. Electric trams have run in the city since 1915.