FRANCE: The first of 19 Omneo Premium double-deck inter-city electric multiple-units ordered by the Hauts-de-France région for the Paris – Amiens and Paris – Saint Quentin – Cambrai/Maubeuge ‘Picardie Y’ routes has been rolled out at Alstom’s Crespin plant.
The €287m order placed through SNCF in 2018 was funded jointly by the Hauts-de-France authority and the national government as part of an agreement to transfer responsibility for TET passenger services to the région.
The 10-car, 135 m long 25 kV 50 Hz EMUs are designed to offer a high level of comfort, with 463 seats arranged 2+2 in a single class offering USB and 220 V power points and at-seat lights.
They have a design speed of 200 km/h, although the line speed on the ‘Picardie Y’ is limited to 160 km/h.
Speaking at the roll-out on January 26, President of the regional authority Xavier Bertrand said Hauts-de-France is investing a total of €500m in the two corridors, including the rolling stock order.
The EMUs are scheduled to be delivered in 2023-24 to replace BB 22200 electric locomotives and 104 Corail coaches, with the first expected to enter service this summer. They will be maintained in Amiens, with some work undertaken at Le Landy near Paris.
Meanwhile, the first Regio 2N EMU fitted with ETCS was unveiled on the same day. This is part of a 2020 order for 33 high-capacity units with 2+3 seating to be delivered in 2024-25 for use on Hauts-de-France routes including stopping services on the Picardie Y lines which require ETCS.
Jérôme Bodel, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs Hauts-de-France, said the Omneo Premium and Regio 2N fleets would be operated independently, but the high level of technical similarity between them would help to improve service reliability.
