Bombardier begins mid-life overhaul of Israel Railways’ double-deck fleet

Israel Railways' BOMBARDIER TWINDEXX double-deck coaches. Credit: Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation has started the mid-life overhaul for Israel Railways’ (ISR) fleet of 143 BOMBARDIER TWINDEXX double-deck coaches.

Valued at approximately $15 million, the new project covers additional interior and exterior technical works to overhaul the coaches’ systems.

“We thank ISR for entrusting us with yet another services and asset-life-management project,” explained Eran Cohen, Managing Director of Bombardier Transportation in Israel. “We look forward to continuing the long-term and successful partnership with ISR as our strategic customer. This project provides our latest opportunity to implement the teams’ extensive know-how and experience which are best suited to meet our customer’s time to market, high availability and reliability targets.”

Delivered between 2002 and 2006, these first-generation TWINDEXX coaches will now have some of their internal and external doors modernised and their passenger information systems and jumper cables replaced. The project which recently started with design and engineering works, will then proceed with equipping one pilot train. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by January 2023.

The overhaul will rely on Bombardier Transportation and Israel Railways’ expert teams’ combined equipment, and experiences to leverage synergies and expertise. This combined approach seeks to accelerate on-time delivery and increase quality performance.

Retrofit programme

Credit: Bombardier Transportation

This mid-life project is the next natural step in a six-year retrofit programme for the ISR’s fleet of TWINDEXX double-deck coaches. Bombardier Transportation and ISR have recently implemented the necessary technical work packages to prepare and adjust the fleet for electric operation, including implementation of magnetic track brakes to allow speeds of 160km/h, as well as implementing additional diagnostics and safety systems. In all, the project will cover the following:

• Overhauling and modernising coaches’ exterior door system
• Overhauling toilet system doors, making them more accessible for passengers with reduced mobility
• Replacing 400-volt jumper cables
• Renewing the passenger information system.