The Yekaterinburg administration has secured 15 new three-section “Kastor” trams for the Akademichesky district, with deliveries expected to begin before January 2026. The purchase was made possible through a successful bidding process that resulted in significant savings for the city.

The trams were acquired from the Ust-Katavsky plant in the Chelyabinsk region for 2.1 billion rubles, a figure lower than the initially allocated budget of nearly 2.7 billion rubles. The saved funds will allow the city to purchase an additional tram.

These trams are quite long, measuring 25.8 meters each and boasting a total capacity of 261 passengers, including 64 seated passengers.

This acquisition represents the first batch of a larger plan to modernize the city’s tram fleet. A second batch of 35 trams is anticipated to arrive by the end of the year.

Previously, the city’s only three-section “Kastor” tram operated on route 18 before being reassigned to route No. 1, connecting Akademichesky and Vtorchermet, in February 2025.

In related news, Yekaterinburg has also received its first new articulated buses.