Bombardier Awarded Contract for Queensland Rail in Australia

Bombardier Transportation and joint venture partner, Downer EDI Rail, have been awarded an order by the Queensland Government in Australia to build 20 three car electric commuter trains. The contract is valued at approximately 104 million euros ($131 million US, $205 million AU). Bombardier’s share of the contract will be about 48 million euros ($60 million US, $93 million AU). Deliveries are scheduled to start in August 2010 and continue until December 2011.

This order is a follow on from an order for the SMU260 vehicles currently entering service with QR (Queensland Rail) Passenger and will provide increased capacity across the QR network.

“The new SMU260 trains have proved very popular with our customers,” said Paul Scurrah, Executive General Manager of QR Passenger. “We are very pleased that the addition of these 20 trains to the fleet will provide some much-needed capacity to the network.”

“This order reflects QR Passenger’s confidence in this vehicle that has been proven in service and builds on over 30 years experience in this operating environment,” stated Dan Osborne, Managing Director of Bombardier Transportation Australia. “The delivery of these new trains will see about 650 carriages from the joint venture in service with QR.”

Bombardier’s scope in the project is the overall design of the vehicle, integration of the vehicle systems, bogie design and the supply of propulsion, electrical and communication systems. The trains are stainless steel construction with narrow gauge, 25kV propulsion, utilising a number of mature systems service proven in Queensland Rail’s operating environment, such as the highly reliable BOMBARDIER MITRAC propulsion system. They will operate at up to 130 kph.

Assembly of the new trains will be carried out at Bombardier’s facility and EDI Rail’s facility in Maryborough, Queensland. Propulsion and traction equipment will be manufactured at Bombardier’s plants in Västerås, Sweden and Pittsburgh, USA. Testing and commissioning will be carried out jointly. This order builds on over 600 narrow gauge carriages already in service in Brisbane and Perth.

Source & Photo : Bombardier