Key news and contracts in the rolling stock market.
?? The national operator SBB has ordered 11 narrow-gauge Stadler EMUs, valued at €148 mln, for the Seetalbahn. This line, built to different a standard to the rest of the Swiss network, connects Lucerne and Lenzburg. The trains, with 2,700 mm wide car bodies, will have entrances at two levels: 350 mm for the Seetalbahn and 550 mm for other Swiss lines. Between 2029 and 2030, the new trains will completely replace the Stadler GTW 2/8 trainsets that have been operating on the line since 2002.
Trials of the Talgo passenger train ordered by ENR for the Alexandria-Cairo-Aswan line. Source: aldewaan.com
?? The government of the country has finally ratified a loan agreement for the purchase of seven Talgo locomotive-hauled trains. The €200 mln loan, with a 40-year repayment period and a 10-year grace period, will be provided by the Spanish government to implement the contract, which the Egyptian national operator, ENR, and the Spanish manufacturer signed back in 2022.
Rendering of the refurbished Voyager diesel train. Source: Alstom
?? The Alstom plant in Derby, UK, which was on the verge of closure, has been awarded another contract. Under the new deal, the company will upgrade the interior and exterior of the Voyager high-speed diesel trains. These Class 220 and 221 MUs were manufactured by Bombardier Transportation in 2000–2002. The €70 mln project to refurbish 312 cars will be funded by their owner, Beacon Rail, after which they will be operated by CrossCountry. Earlier, the plant in Derby had received an ‘anti-crisis’ order for the production of ten Aventra EMUs.
Rendering of the Vande Bharat sleeper train. Source: KRS
?? The national operator has amended the contract with Kinet RS for the supply of Vande Bharat EMUs. The operator’s decision does not affect the size of the order. Under new conditions, the joint venture between TMH and RVNL is expected to supply 80 trains of 24 car each instead of the previously ordered 120 trainsets of 16 cars each and add a dining car and a baggage car. In September or October next year, two prototype trains with sleeping cars are expected to be released.
