FRANCE: The first Régiolis EMU delivered by Alstom to operate local TER services in the Aquitaine region was presented to the public at Bordeaux Saint-Jean station on July 4. This followed a handover ceremony attended by President of the Aquitaine regional council Alain Rousset, SNCF President Guillaume Pepy and Alstom President Henri Poupart-Lafarge.
A total of 182 Régiolis multiple-units have been ordered by 12 French regions under a framework contract signed by Alstom and SNCF in 2009. The first 100 are due to be delivered by the end of 2014, with Alsace, Basse-Normandie, Lorraine and Picardie as well as Aquitaine due to receive their trains later this year.
With over 200 000 km covered so far, Alstom expects dynamic testing to be completed in September. Following approval by safety regulator EPSF, the Régiolis is due to enter commercial service in 2014.
