FRANCE: SNCF confirmed a €300m order for a further 10 Alstom Euroduplex double-deck high speed trainsets on July 25.
This is the final order to be placed under June 2007 framework contract which covered an initial 55 trainsets with options for 40 more to be delivered in 2015-19; a firm order for 30 of the optional sets was placed in March 2012.
There are now 21 Euroduplex trainsets in service on the French network as well as routes to Frankfurt, München and Stuttgart. They are also to be deployed on Paris -Barcelona and Paris - Zürich services.
The 560-seat TGV trainsets offer a higher capacity than the single-deck sets from the 1980s which they are to replace, helping to increase capacity to meet growing demand on the busiest sections of the network. The multi-voltage trainsets will be fully compliant with TSI standards and equipped for ETCS, making them suitable for international operation.
Alstom's La Rochelle plant is managing production of the trains and undertaking assembly and fitting-out. The company's Saint-Ouen facility is responsible for overall design, with the driving vehicles supplied from the Belfort plant, bodyshells from Reichshoffen, traction motors from Ornans, bogies from Le Creusot, electrical equipment from Le Petit-Quevilly and Tarbes, and on-board computer and passenger information systems from Villeurbanne.
