DENMARK: Three potential bidders have prequalified for a contract to supply at least 226 fully automatic electric mutiple-units for the København S-bane suburban network.
They are Alstom, CAF and a consortium comprising Siemens Mobility and Stadler Bussnang.
National operator DSB is using a competitive dialogue process for the procurement, enabling it to discuss the best technical approaches with the bidders and adjust the tender to obtain the ‘best and most robust’ proposals.
‘We have three strong and competent bidders in the field’, DSB’s Director of Strategy & Rolling Stock Jürgen Müller said on September 8. ‘This provides healthy competition and a robust tendering process, which will hopefully lead to attractive offers. All three prequalified bidders have proven over time that they have the skills and muscle to develop, produce and deliver good quality trains.’
DSB expects to award the contract for the supply and maintenance of the trainsets in the first half of 2025, with entry into service on the orbital Ringbanen expected around 2030.
The new trains would replace 104 eight-car and 31 four-car wide-bodied EMUs procured between 1996 and 2004.
In 2017 the government decided in principle that the 170 route-km stand-alone suburban network electrified at 1·5 kV DC should transition to unattended driverless operation at Grade of Automation 4. Following infrastructure manager Banedanmark’s investment in Siemens Mobility Trainguard MT communications-based train control, the final sections of CBTC were commissioned in September 2022.
DSB began a market-sounding exercise for the automation programme in 2019. It has appointed a joint venture of Cowi, Parsons and Systra to provide consultancy services, and last year Ricardo Certification was selected to act as Assessment Body for the project.
