Västtrafik vehicles to be refurbished in €9 million contract

Train operator Västtrafik and Alstom have signed a €9 million contract for the revision and refurbishment of 18 X12 and X14 two-car vehicles.

The work will be carried out in Motala, a workshop that specialises in refurbishment and heavy maintenance. The mainly exterior refurbishment entails rust repair and painting, while the interior make-over will involve stripping the vehicles and mount new walls, ceiling, floor and chairs etc.

The X12 and X14 trains are part of the X10 family which were manufactured in 1991-1995 by ASEA/ABB. Västtrafik operates these primarily in the commuter traffic on the route Göteborg-Borås and Uddevalla-Borås-Varberg in Sweden.

“Alstom sees this contract as an important milestone to grow its presence in the region,” said Björn Asplund, Managing Director of Alstom Sweden. “It establishes our depot in Motala as a centre for large refurbishments and revisions. Our staff already has great experience of these trains and will be able to efficiently use the existing local competence to deliver this project with high quality and precision.”

In addition to these trains, Västtrafik runs a fleet with several different vehicles types, including 27 Alstom Coradia Nordic trains, in the Gothenburg region, all of which are maintained by Alstom in the depot of Gothenburg.

“Västtrafik looks forward to implementing the contracting measures that the vehicles need,” Bülent Esenteg, Rolling Stock Manager X11-X14 Västtrafik added. “It will ensure the operation of the vehicles as well as contribute to a better customer experience during the vehicle’s remaining service life. We look forward to carrying out the work together with Alstom-Motala Train, who has long experience from similar work on relevant vehicle types.”

The refurbishment of the vehicles is planned to start in autumn this year and will finish at the end of 2020.