NORWAY: National rolling stock owning body Norske Tog has selected Alstom for a contract to supply 30 commuter electric multiple-units, with options for 170 more which could take the total value to NKr4·2bn.
The first 30 EMUs are scheduled to enter service on the Østfoldbanan in 2025, replacing 40-year old trains to provide commuters in the Olso region with greater comfort and more capacity
Norske Tog said Alstom’s Coradia Nordic design could cope with harsh winter conditions and had been proven during more than 15 years of service in Sweden, while Denmark’s DSB had also signed a contract to buy Coradia trains.
The six-car trains for Norway will have a capacity of 778 passengers, a 40% increase on the trains being replaced, with 294 ‘very comfortable’ seats arranged 2+2, compared to between 238 and 303 seats on the current trains. There will be large multipurpose areas for bicycles, pushchairs and to provide standing space during the peaks.
Accessibility features will include low-floor entrances throughout, as well as wheelchair lifts for use at low platforms, dedicated wheelchair spaces, hearing loops and an accessible toilet.
Six suppliers qualified for the competition, with Alstom selected on an overall assessment of quality and price. Norske Tog said environmental, human rights and social responsibility factors were also taken into account, and following an external legal review it had concluded that Alstom could not be excluded from the competition because of its separate work on light rail in East Jerusalem.
‘Norske Tog must follow Norwegian law. Within the framework of the law, we will do what we can to ensure that our suppliers act responsibly’, said Iren Marugg, Legal Director of Norske Tog.
