Europorte and Alstom sign rail freight partnership agreement

Europorte, the rail freight subsidiary of the Eurotunnel Group, and Alstom have signed a partnership agreement covering the maintenance of 17 Alstom manufactured Prima locomotives now operated by Europorte.

Within this framework, the two partners will improve the management and availability of the Europorte locomotive fleet. To do this, they will analyse existing processes; optimise maintenance cycles, interventions on the locomotives and the equipment of the maintenance sites. They will work to reduce the transport to depot time and the locomotive down time to generate significant productivity improvements.

With the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) now applicable to the Channel Tunnel, the two partners are planning to organise homologation tests for the new generation of Alstom Prima II locomotives in the autumn of 2012.

Jacques Gounon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Eurotunnel SA, stated, “This agreement will enable Europorte and Alstom to put their combined experience, as manufacturer and locomotive fleet operator, together thereby ensuring the future of rail freight between Great Britain and the Continent.”

Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Chairman of Alstom Transport, stated, “This partnership between an operator and a manufacturer is particularly important as it will bring about a reduction in maintenance and operating costs; it is a win-win approach in support of the development of rail freight.”