SNCF orders 12 more Euroduplex trains from Alstom

Alstom will supply 12 Avelia Euroduplex trains to SNCF Mobilités for the sum of €335 million. This order is in addition to the one for 55 trains currently being delivered. The 12 trains will enter service in 2021 and 2022. They will replace older trains, some of which are over 30 years old.

A first order for 40 trains had been signed with SNCF in September 2013, and 15 additional options were exercised in 2017. To date, 41 trains have been delivered, with the first ones entering commercial service on 11 December 2016 between Paris and Bordeaux.

Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, Senior Vice President France at Alstom, said: “I am very happy that SNCF has renewed its trust in us. The feedback from passengers who travel regularly on these very high speed trains is very positive. This order is excellent news for the sites that produce these trains and will, in particular, ensure the workload of La Rochelle and Belfort in 2020 and 2021, before the delivery of the new generation trains ordered in 2018. The production of these Avelia Euroduplex trains will represent employment for 400 people in La Rochelle and 120 people in Belfort.”

The Avelia Euroduplex trains have higher capacity, with 556 seats compared to 509 for previous generations. Alstom has placed the passenger at the heart of the development of this material by proposing a new concept for more comfortable, more ergonomic seats with a high level of equipment (electrical sockets, USB sockets, reading lamp, etc.). Alstom has also developed an innovative system allowing first-class seats to rotate 180° so that passengers always face the direction of travel. The particularity of the trains for this additional order is that they have been pre-configured to receive a new-generation automatic speed control system meeting the very latest European standards (ERTMS). This train offers greater accessibility for PRM[2] passengers thanks to its increased reception capacity and the incorporation of a door location aid, as well as the evolution of the toilet handles and indicators (tactile). The train has also been pre-configured as necessary to allow operators to offer Wi-Fi on board.

Euroduplex belongs to Alstom’s Avelia range of high-speed trains. Eight of Alstom’s 13 sites in France are involved in its design and manufacture: La Rochelle for the design and assembly, Belfort for the power cars, Ornans for the engines, Le Creusot for the bogies, Tarbes for the traction chains, Villeurbanne for the on-board computerised systems, Petit-Quevilly for the traction transformers and Saint-Ouen for the design.