Montréal – Bombardier Transportation welcomes the notice given by the Board of Directors of the Brussels transport authority (STIB) to award Bombardier an additional order for 22 bidirectional Bombardier FLEXITY Outlook trams. The contract, which will be officially signed in the coming days, is part of the five-year framework agreement concluded with STIB in October 2003, and includes the maintenance of the vehicles’ bogies and propulsion equipment for a period of 15 years, as well as the delivery of spare parts for 10 years. The contract (without spare parts) is valued at approximately 52 million euros. This additional order brings the total number of FLEXITY Outlook vehicles ordered by STIB to 68. The delivery of the 100% low-floor trams is expected to take place between May 2007 and March 2008.

The announcement took place at the roll-out ceremony of the first of 46 FLEXITY Outlook vehicles ordered in 2003. The event, which was held at the tramway museum in Brussels, was attended by Mr. Pascal Smet, Minister of Mobility of the Brussels Region, as well as political representatives and STIB and Bombardier executives.

“STIB’s intention to order 22 additional trams simultaneously with the handover of the first Bombardier FLEXITY Outlook tram reflects the STIB’s strong confidence in our products and services,” commented Walter Grawenhoff, President, Light Rail Vehicles, Bombardier Transportation. “Since the 1950s, we have worked closely together on various tram and metro cars projects and we are delighted to continue this long-lasting cooperation.”

The 32 m long vehicles, featuring the Bombardier MITRAC propulsion system, will be manufactured at Bombardier’s Bruges site in Belgium, while the bogies will be produced at the Siegen site in Germany.

Vehicles of the same family are in successful revenue service in the cities of Linz and Graz, Austria and Lodz, Poland and have recently been put in service in Geneva, Switzerland and Eskisehir, Turkey. They have also been ordered by the city of Marseille, France and Valencia, Spain.