http://www.flandersnews.be/cm/flandersnews.be/News/070205_%2BNew%2Btram%2BT4000

Brussels has the longest tram

Mon 05/02/07 - The Brussels public transport company MIVB has produced
its newest trump card in its attempt to persuade commuters to opt for
public transport. The proposed answer to all congestion problems is
called T4000 and it's the longest tram ever used in Brussels.
The T4000 model has 7 double doors, lowered floors, 8 surveillance
cameras and air conditioning. It can carry 258 passengers.

The T4000 was built by the company Bombardier Transportation in
Bruges. The longest tram in Brussels history is 11 metres longer than
its smaller sibling the T3000 which was introduced in March of last
year.

The new T4000 can also take 100 passengers more.
(Belga)
In a first phase, the new tram will be used on the line 23 that runs
from Churchill in the Brussels municipality of Ukkel to the Heizel
sports and exhibition area in the municipality in Laken.

In a later stage, it will also be put into service on line 24 that
links the Schaarbeek railway station to Churchill in Ukkel during the
rush hour.

According to Ann Van Hamme, the new tram lives up to the need for a
bigger capacity on the busy line 23.

"That tram line has been overcrowded for a number of years. A great
many school children use that line, hence the need for more volume",
she says.

The MIVB has ordered 19 new T4000 trams. They will be supplied in the
course of the year.

Next year, the MIVB will introduce a new tram plan. From then onwards,
the T4000 will be put into service on the line that links the north of
the capital to the south.