Uppsala to order trams from Skoda-Transtech

The Swedish city of Uppsala (population 175 000) is building a new 17km two-line tramway system, with opening expected in 2029. The tender for the supply of new trams, including 12 years of maintenance, was issued in June 2024 and on 16 June 2026 it was announced that the preferred bidder is Skoda-Transtech with its ForCity Smart Artic model; there is still a 10-day appeal period to elapse before the order can be placed. 

 

This is expected to be for 20 30m trams (with the capability to be extended to 40m) plus maintenance, and an option for a further 18 trams that can be exercised later. This model has already been delivered to another new Scandinavian tramway, in the Finnish city of Tampere. The buyer of the Uppsala trams will be AB Transitio, the agency owned by the Swedish regions, that will then lease the fleet to Uppsala region. The final bid price has yet to be announced. Delivery will start in 2028. The order will bring some relief to Skoda-Transtech after they lost out to Stadler on a large order for new trams from Helsinki. 

 

Uppsala had a first-generation tramway system from 1906 to 1953. The project for a new tramway was approved in conditional form in December 2021 and was expected to cost SEK 12bn, with SEK 3bn coming from the national Treasury.