European tramways for an European Aera
Basel transport operator BVB named Bombardier Transportation as preferred bidder to supply 60 trams on October 25. Following the regulatory standstill period, the contract for the fleet of Flexity Basel trams is expected to be signed in early November. The first two are scheduled to arrive in 2013 ready for the opening of the extension of Line 8 across the German border to Weil am Rhein, with two trams a month to be delivered from 2014. The order is the largest placed in the 116-year history of Basel's tram network. Bids were also submitted by Stadler and Siemens, which has previously supplied 28 Combinos. BVB said all proposals were technically comparable, but Bombardier offered the best price at around SFr 220m. Stadler said it was disappointed to have missed out on such a major contract on cost grounds, and sees this as a sign that the high value of the franc is hitting Swiss manufacturers in the domestic as well as the export market.

The Bombardier's site in Villeneuve in the Vaud region is involved in the making. The BVB order of the "Flexity" trams is placed in two ways: 43 trams are purchased in the 43.2-meter-long version with eight doors and a capacity of 254 passengers. The second delivery consits of 17 trams with 31-meter which can accommodate 183 passengers. The deal with Bombardier also includes an option for 51 more trams for the same price. The BVB and BLT Baselland originally designed to share and opted for the "Tango" by Stadler. 2010, the BVB backed down because the "Tango" Tram is only a 75 percent low-floor judged not to be ideal for use in the city. Trams of the BLT-Trams are already in use.

Last bigger order for Bombardier was on 29 September 2010, when the government of Victoria has also selected Bombardier to supply 50 low-floor trams for Melbourne. The Flexity Melbourne vehicles will be 33 m long with capacity for 210 passengers. Yarra Trams currently operates 27 routes on the city’s 250 route- km network using a fleet of 486 trams. The fleet includes 36 low-floor Alstom Citadis units and 59 low-floor Siemens Combinos introduced in 2001-04, and five ‘Bumblebee’ Citadis trams on loan from Mulhouse until December 2011. The older Z, A and B Class vehicles, bought in the 1970s and 1980s, are being refurbished and fitted with new seats, passenger information equipment as well as a brighter modern livery.