The FINANCIAL — one of the leaders of rail technology, Bombardier Transportation has received an order for 36 Francilien train sets (270 cars) from the French national railway corporation, Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF) on behalf of the Greater Paris public transport authority, Île-de-France Mobilités.
The order, a call off from a contract signed in 2006 with SNCF for a maximum of 372 trains, is valued at approximately 261 million euro ($303 million US). These trains, entirely financed by Île-de-France Mobilités, will be rolled out on lines L, J and P on the SNCF Transilien network to continue modernizing the fleet. Bombardier supports Île-de-France rolling stock renewal program by accelerating production pace from September 2019 onwards.
“This train, specially designed to meet the challenges of the dense and congested Transilien network, has proven its strengths. Fully adapted to this urban transportation ecosystem, it’s the most reliable fleet operating on the network. The trains offer exceptional energy efficiency, optimized maintenance costs and of course a sleek design with amenities that are particularly appreciated by travelers,” said Laurent Bouyer, president of Bombardier Transport France.
These new trains will feature upgrades to improve the comfort of passengers. They will be equipped with USB ports, new and more ergonomic handrails, and large panoramic screens to increase readability of passenger information. As best performing fleet in Île-de-France, the Francilien trains contribute to the punctuality of the lines where they operate. From the start of the project, Bombardier engineers focused on passenger needs and designed a modern spacious commuter train. The Francilien offers room for up to 1,000 people and includes large seats, wide doors and open gangways to increase passenger flow. In addition, they are equipped with the latest energy efficient and “intelligent” technologies as well as with improved security systems.
This new order consists of 18 short trains sets, totaling 126 cars, to operate on lines L and J from and to Paris Saint-Lazare station; and 18 long trainsets, 144 cars, for line P from Paris Est station. Altogether, SNCF will operate a fleet of 313 Francilien commuter trains. To date, 230 Francilien trains are in operation.
Renowned as France’s first industrial rail site, about 2,000 people work on Bombardier’s facility in Crespin (Nord), including 500 engineers and managers. The company designs, builds and commissions different types of equipment and is specialized in double deck platforms. Three emblematic projects are now in production: 1) OMNEO (in the Premium and Regio 2N regional versions) is an extra-capacity, double-deck train for the Regions of France, which ordered 382 train sets in a contract signed in 2010. 2) Francilien is an ultra-modern commuter train for Greater Paris. Île-de-France Mobilités has ordered 313 trains. Operating since December 2009, it is the best performing train of the SNCF Transilien network, servicing the P, L, J, K and H lines 3) RER NG, under a contract signed in 2017 as part of a consortium for Île-de-France Mobilités, will operate on the E and D lines of the RER.
Discussion about this post