Škoda Transportation has agreed to deliver 80 modern trams to German transport company Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr (rnv) for more than €250m.

The trams will operate on routes in and around Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg. The contract includes an option for 34 additional vehicles.

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Škoda chairman and Škoda transportation CEO Petr Brzezina: “This is our company’s biggest export tram contract ever, from both a financial and manufacturing point of view. Our strategy of focusing on Western markets is also paying off.

The vehicles will operate in three federal states of the country, Baden-Württemberg, Hessen and Rhineland-Palatinate.

Brzezina said: “This year we will also deliver trams to the German city of Chemnitz. The unique thing about this project for rnv is that the trams will link three federal states of our Western neighbour.”

A tender for trams was announced last March. The first vehicles are scheduled to be put into operation by 2021.

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“This is our company’s biggest export tram contract ever, from both a financial and manufacturing point of view. Our strategy of focusing on Western markets is also paying off.”

Škoda Transportation group vice president and Transtech Oy chairman Zdeněk Majer said: “I’m glad Škoda has succeeded in our priority market, Germany, again. Basis for the rnv 2020 project are the vehicles of the ForCity Smart family produced in our Finnish plant Transtech, which we are currently delivering to Helsinki and soon to Tampere.

“Outstanding references, experience with operation in Helsinki and proposed innovations for rnv have been the key to our success in this tender, which was one of the largest in Europe in recent years. The project will involve technical experts from the whole Škoda Transportation group. Winning this tender proves that Škoda can succeed alongside world engineering giants.

One of the three types of trams will be almost 60m long, making it the longest tram in the world.

Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr technical director Martin in der Beek said: “We are growing for the future and with the project Rhein-Neckar-Tram 2020 and the contract to Škoda Transportation we are making a quantum leap for the further development of public transport in the region.

“Efficient and attractive rail transport is of existential importance since we want to ensure a sustainable quality of life in our cities. This requires a strong fleet of vehicles.”

Škoda Transportation will deliver three tram lengths, all of them featuring the same technical design, three-carriage, four-carriage and six-carriage.

The company will provide 31 30-m trams, 37 40-m trams and 12 60-m trams for the 2020 project.

All 80 trams will feature bi-directional low-floor with motorised pivoting bogies and a 1,000mm gauge.

The vehicles will be equipped with information systems and camera systems. Their maximum vehicle operating speed will be 80 km/h.