Stadler of Switzerland Signs Supply Contract for 63 Trams with Helsinki, Finland

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 11, Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler and Finnish metropolitan transport company Pääkaupunkiseudun Kaupunkiliikenne Oy formally signed a supply contract for 63 TANGO Nordic trams, with options for the additional purchase of up to 120 trams, bringing the potential procurement volume to 183 trams. The contract also includes more than 30 years of technical support, spare parts supply, and local spare parts warehouse construction services. The new vehicles will be used to renew the existing tram fleet in the Helsinki metropolitan area and to operate new lines in western Helsinki and the city of Vantaa.

This contract is the formal signing following the award result announced by the two parties in October 2025. Because competitor Škoda Transtech challenged the procurement result, the project underwent review by the Finnish Market Court and the Supreme Administrative Court. In March 2026, the Market Court ruled that the purchaser had a lawful basis for excluding bids that did not meet the tender requirements; on June 2, the Supreme Administrative Court declined to hear further appeals, thereby finalizing the procurement decision. The two parties then completed the contract signing.

The TANGO Nordic is based on Stadler's TANGO platform and is specially designed for Finland's severe cold, snow, ice, and urban rail operating conditions with small-radius curves. The vehicle uses a three-module configuration, with a length of 31 to 34 meters and a width of 2.4 meters, adapted to Finland's 1,000 mm gauge tram network. All 63 vehicles feature a low-floor structure, with a step-free aisle running through the entire train; depending on configuration, they can provide 70 to 90 seats, along with two wheelchair spaces and a multifunctional area.

The running gear is a key focus of this model's adaptation to Helsinki line conditions. Each train is equipped with four powered steerable bogies, using rigid axles and an articulated bogie structure so that the wheelsets can adapt to changes in line curvature and reduce the forces exerted on the track when the vehicle negotiates small-radius curves. The vehicles are also equipped with a regenerative braking system that recovers and temporarily stores electrical energy generated during braking and reuses it during acceleration to reduce traction energy consumption. The electrical equipment, mechanical structures, and suspension system will also be adjusted for the low-temperature and ice-and-snow environment of the Nordic region.

All vehicles will be manufactured at Stadler's plant in Siedlce, Poland. According to the delivery schedule published by the purchaser, the first pre-production vehicles are planned to be manufactured and delivered in stages from 2029 to 2030, and series vehicles are expected to be delivered from 2031 to 2034. Before formal delivery, the vehicles will undergo trial operation and related technical validation, after which they will gradually enter the Helsinki metropolitan area operating network.