Brief overview of key events and news in the rail rolling stock markets.
Siemens Mobility has received the largest order to date for its new-generation Mireo EMUs. 75 vehicles have been ordered for a project on the development of the Central German S-Bahn network serving Leipzig and the surrounding region. The contract, worth approximately €500 mln, includes the delivery of 41 three-car and 18 four-car Mireo EMUs, and 16 two-car Mireo Plus B BEMUs. The trains are scheduled to enter service at the end of 2026. According to Siemens, the company has signed 22 contracts for the delivery of more than 400 Mireo trains.
The national Hungarian operator MAV-Start has issued a request for quotations for 95 EMUs, up from 80 announced this summer. According to Rail Business, this is due to an expected increase in the number of routes to be served by these trains. Applications for the previous request for quotations were received from Alstom, Stadler, Siemens Mobility, and Koncar, Croatia, represented by its Hungarian partner.
The Siemens Smartron electric locomotive in BDZ’ fleet. Source: Andre/Pinterest
Talgo and CRRC have submitted bids for a tender to supply 20 push-pull trains to Bulgaria. The national Ministry of Transport called for bids in May. Talgo has reportedly offered to supply 383-seat trains for €623 mln, and CRRC is ready to supply 406-seat EMUs for €310 mln. Recently, Siemens Mobility won a tender from the national operator BDZ for the supply of ten electric passenger locomotives for €46.4 mln excluding VAT.
Several freight car orders and deliveries have been announced in the Union. The freight operator RCG, a subsidiary of Austria’s OBB, has signed a contract with the Swiss leasing company MFD Rail for the delivery of 600 container flatcars. The first 100 vehicles under the contract have already been received, with a further 100 due to be delivered in H2 2024. The European leasing company Ermewa delivered 55 Tatravagonka container flatcars to an undisclosed customer in Sweden. The Czech freight operator EP Cargo has leased 50 hoppers from the leasing company GATX.
RCG’s container flatcar. Source: Rail Cargo Austria
The German transport company Netinera, owned by the Italian national railway holding FS Group, has announced a request for quotations for the supply of up to 40 hybrid locomotives. The future supplier will have to offer vehicles with a minimum speed of 160 km/h on electrified lines and of 140 km/h on non-electrified lines. The minimum expected power is 2 MW in diesel mode and 2.4 MW in electric mode.
The Colorado Department of Transportation has issued a request for information on locomotives and passenger cars for the Denver-Craig line which is currently under consideration. The department says it needs information on available fleet options that can climb steep grades and operate in cold temperatures. At the same time, a relevant tender has not yet been planned.
The BKM Holding tram in Novosibirsk. Source: Anatoly Lokot/Telegram
BKM Holding, Belarus, will deliver 20 T701 tram kits to Novosibirsk, Russia, for further assembly. The parties to the contract are BKM Holding and BKM Siberia, a joint venture between BKM Holding and the Novosibirsk region. Since 2017, the joint venture has been overhauling 71-605 trams for the regional capital. The parties have previously signed a memorandum for the supply of up to 50 tram kits to Novosibirsk in 2024–2026.
