Siemens and Romanian Astra Arad's tram Imperio to be tested in Bucharest next spring

A tram produced by Siemens and Romanian company Astra Vagoane Arad, called Imperio, will be tested in Bucharest next spring and the Bucharest Public Transport Company (RATB) will afterward decide whether it wants to buy it, according to Valeriu Blidar, owner of Astra Vagoane Arad, quoted by Money.ro.

The tram will be a prototype currently produced at the RATB's Repairing Unit, which collaborates with Astra Vagoane Arad. The same tram has already been tested on the streets of Arad but the Bucharest one will have a slightly different front and will be longer. According to Astra Arad, Imperio will have a 30 percent lower cost that models of producers in the same category. “If a tram from a high-flown producer costs EUR 2.5 million, ours will cost around EUR 1.7 million. Local authorities are interested and I think we will be successful as no one in the world produces a better and cheaper tram,” said Valeriu Blidar, the main shareholder in Astra Arad. editor@romania-insider.com (photo source: aradcity.ro)