FRENCH National Railways awarded a €48m contract last month to an Alstom-led consortium for the refurbishment of Class Z2 electric multiple-units used on regional services. The deal includes follow-on options worth a total of €12m. Alstom will act as project manager and be responsible for equipment supply, bringing its share of the contract to €37m.
Due to be completed by March 2008, the refurbishment programme covers interior remodelling and the installation of air-conditioning. Consortium partner Cannes La Bocca Industries will refurbish 20 two-car sets, and another 51 will be refitted at SNCF workshops using equipment from Alstom.
The TGV workshops at Bischheim near Strasbourg are currently refurbishing USI coaches for SNCF regional services. A total of 15 will deployed on the TER network in Provence-Alpes-C
