Cuenca’s first tram cars arrive from France at the port of Guayaquil; after clearing customs, the cars should arrive in Cuenca in about two weeks

Mayor Marcelo Cabrera was on the docks in Guayaquil Tuesday night as the first unit of Cuenca’s new tram system, Tranvía de los Cuatro Rios, were off-loaded from the Belgium freighter Wallenius Wilhelmsen. The shipment consists of five cars built in France by tech and transportation manufacturer Alstom.

The first cars of Cuenca’s tram system at the docks in Guayaquil on Tuesday night. Photo credit: El Universo

Cabrera said the cars would be in Cuenca within two weeks, after clearing customs.

The five cars comprise one transport unit, measure 32 meters in total, weigh about 50 tons and, once operational, will have the capacity to carry 300 passengers.

According to Cabrera, the cars will undergo tests once they arrive in Cuenca. Work on the testing grounds, just of Av. Las Americas southwest, is complete, the mayor said. “We can begin testing immediately to make certain everything is operating properly,” he said.

Cabrera said that “corrective actions” have been taken this week to make sure tram construction is completed on schedule, in October 2016. “We have had some problems with the civil works aspect of the system, but those are being resolved,” he said. “We also continue to work on an integrated transportation system involving the tram and buses and this will be complete before the tram begins operations.”