Swiss and German trams help decarbonize Ukrainian public transport

This article was originally published in English

Switzerland and Germany have sent more than a hundred used trams to Ukraine to help improve its public transport network.

Since the Russian invasion in 2022, tens of thousands of people have moved to the western city of Lviv, putting a huge strain on the transport network.

A number of these new arrivals have been injured, sometimes disabled, as a result of the war, and therefore have additional needs. Needs that Switzerland helps to meet by providing them with low-floor trams.

The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) also sent dozens of trams to Vinnytsia in central Ukraine.

In addition to providing a boost to mobility, these donations also have a positive impact on the climate, by helping to decarbonize the public transport systems of the cities concerned. Although they are older models, the trams manufactured in Vevey consume less energy than the Lviv fleet dating from the Soviet era.

Why is Switzerland sending old trams to Ukraine?

These donations are part of broader aid from Switzerland, which is financing other sustainable urban development projects in Ukraine.

Over the past twenty years, Switzerland has also donated hundreds of old trams to other Eastern European countries, including Romania and Serbia. But, as the news website Swiss.info reports, this is the first time it has made a donation in wartime.

In total, 11 decommissioned low-floor trams are destined for Lviv, and 67 high-floor trams for Vinnytsia.

Lviv also recently received a batch of trams donated by Berlin, which are being retrofitted and equipped to operate with electronic tickets.

“It is important that these devices are energy efficient,” notes Lvivelectrotrans (LET), which operates Lviv’s trams and trolleybuses. “In particular, they consume 2 to 2.5 times less electricity than existing trams. This will allow significant savings on electricity bills.”

In addition to Swiss and German donations, Lviv received a €17.4 million loan from the European Investment Bank to purchase 10 new low-floor trams earlier this year.

“Residents and visitors can now enjoy a new, inclusive and environmentally friendly form of public transport,” said in April Henrik Huitfeldt, head of the Local and Human Development section in the EU delegation to Ukraine.

How are the transport needs of Ukrainian cities changing?

There is still a demand for more trams in Lviv and other cities in western Ukraine due to the growing internally displaced population.

But the war is not just causing saturation problems. Many spare parts have been manufactured in the conflict-ravaged east of the country, where skilled workers from the transport sector have also left for the front lines.

SECO’s assistance therefore includes four weeks of training for Ukrainian staff and covers the cost of spare parts and technical adaptations.

The city of Lviv is also facing power outages, which could lead to the diversion of trolleybuses and trams if the problem persists.

Swiss trams in Bern will run on a new extended line to the new national rehabilitation centre, Unbroken, which will treat up to 10,000 civilians and soldiers per year.