Alstom and Skoda Bidding Consortium

Alstom Transport and Škoda Transportation consortium have been pre-qualified for the supply and maintenance of double-deck regional trains for the so-called Rhine-Ruhr Express project in North Rhine Westphalia. The largest conurbation area in Europe, North Rhine-Westphalia is also the main traffic hub in Germany’s most highly populated federal state. The Rhine-Ruhr-Express will connect the major cities of the region – including Cologne, Leverkusen, Dusseldorf, Duisburg, Bochum, Dortmund and Bielefeld – and expand as far as

Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate. It is due to enter commercial service on six lines in December 2018.
Alstom and Škoda are developing a completely new electrical multiple unit to meet the requirements of the Rhine-Ruhr-Express. This new design is based on proven eco-friendly technologies from both manufacturers: high recyclability rate, energy braking recovering system, high acceleration capacity to fit in the challenging timetables of mixed rail traffic. The trains will feature a maximum capacity of 400 seats and a low floor to ensure easy access on-board.

In the Rhein-Ruhr-Express project, a new tendering concept will be used in Germany that has previously mainly been seen in the UK. This means that the manufacturer of the trains will also provide maintenance and servicing for a period of 30 years. The transport association placing the order will be making the trains directly available to the train operating companies. This will make it possible to optimise not only the overall costs over the entire service life of the vehicles, but also the transport services offered to passengers.

“Who knows the train better than the company who built it. So it makes perfect sense to leave maintenance and servicing in the hands of the manufacturers. On all sides this optimises planning ability with regard to a top-quality deployment concept with high vehicle availability. We are delighted to have been awarded pre-qualification status for the bidding process for the development of a new train-concept that is fine-tuned to the requirements of the customer”, say Dr. Martin Lange and Z. Majer heading the Alstom and Škoda bidding consortium.
Alstom is the only manufacturer of railway engineering systems in Germany to offer maintenance, servicing and modernisation services for rail vehicles, as well as components for series and classes and for transport information systems from all manufacturers. As recently as December 2012, Alstom was awarded a contract by Regionalbahnfahrzeuge Großraum Braunschweig GmbH to supply 20 electric multiple units and service them for a period of 20 years. Škoda Transportation has more than a hundred years of experience in manufacturing rail vehicles, the company is nowadays focusing on development and research and its rail products are successful on the international market. Electric multiple units, both single and double deck, belong to the leading products of Škoda Transportation having references over 200 units. In July 2013, Škoda Transportation was awarded with a contract for Double Deck electric multiple units pushpull trainsets including locomotives for DB Regio for BEG Bayern.

Source : Skoda Railway