CSR Sifang and Škoda Deal for ForCity Tram’s Licences

Škoda Transportation has signed an agreement with CSR Quingdao Sifang (CSR Sifang) for a technology license to produce ForCity 15T low-floor trams for the Chinese market.

The ten-year license agreement will allow the Chinese firm to manufacture 400 trams, with a total contract value worth up to CZK5bn ($253m).
Škoda’s ForCity tram is a low-floor vehicle that meets the latest safety and technological standards and its pivoting bogie has individually driven wheels that allow it to run on both straight track and curves.
Škoda Transportation chairman Tomáš Krsek said that China currently has an elaborate plan of investments in the public transport sector.
“But it is also necessary to keep in mind that the market is highly competitive, where all multinational global companies take part,” Krsek said.
“Our company is able to compete there with big global players only because we invested huge sums in our research and development every year,” Krsek added. “As an indication, just in the past three years the amount surpassed over 3 billion CZK.”
The 50.6m-long trams, based on the Škoda 14 T, have been developed to be highly modular and are offered with five car body sections and can be uni-directional or bi-directional.
Škoda ForCity can be operated on gauges from 950mm up to 1,524mm and the body may be between 2,300 and 2,650mm wide.
The speed of the tram can be controlled by a computer based on the number of passengers, condition of the track and profile of the route.
Škoda ForCity has a wheel slip and wheel slide protection and it has special wheel tyres with absorbing rubber inserts to ensure quieter operation.
ForCity 15T low-floor trams are currently being operated in Prague, Czech Republic and in Riga, Latvia.