Ukrainian cities received 73 trams per year: used cars prevailed, new ones were manufactured by Tatra-Yug

Over the past year, Ukrainian cities replenished their tram fleets with 73 cars. At the same time, the rolling stock was updated mainly at the expense of used equipment, while all new trams delivered in 2025 were manufactured by the domestic enterprise Tatra-Yug. This was reported by the Center for Transport Strategies (CTS).

In total, out of the 73 tram cars that arrived in the cities, 58 were used, and another 15 were new. New cars were purchased with funds from local budgets and within the framework of cooperation programs with international financial organizations (IFOs), which remains one of the key tools for updating urban electric transport.

According to the Alltransua portal, the largest share of used trams was made by cars from Switzerland. In particular, Lviv received leftover Vevey Be 4/8 cars from Basel and Schindler Be 4/8 from the canton of Basel-Land, and Vinnytsia received Tram 2000 trams that previously operated in Zurich.

At the same time, the technical characteristics of the received cars differed significantly. While Lviv trams were already equipped with a low entrance, Vinnytsia received completely high-floor cars. The city refitted them on its own, installing a low-floor section according to the design used in Zurich.

Another ten used tram cars arrived in Kharkiv. These were Tatra cars and their modernized versions, which were previously operated in the Czech cities of Plzeň and Brno. Thus, Kharkiv also replenished its fleet with imported equipment from EU countries.

All new tram cars delivered in 2025 were manufactured by the Tatra-Yug enterprise. During the year, the company completed the delivery of seven K1T306 model cars to Odessa, financed by the IFO, and also delivered eight new cars to Kyiv for budget funds.

At the same time, the past year was negative for the tram industry in some regions. In 2025, Ukraine lost one tram system - the last tram network in the controlled part of the Donetsk region in the city of Druzhkivka ceased operation. The reason was significant damage to the tram power system as a result of Russian shelling, as well as the approach of the front line, which is why it was decided not to restore the system.

In the temporarily occupied territories, the rolling stock of trams and trolleybuses was not updated in 2025. At the same time, in 2026, the supply of trams under already concluded agreements with the IFO is expected to continue, in particular for Dnipro and Kamiansky, as well as the completion of the receipt of used Schindler cars by Lviv.